A Snap In The Right Direction
by Rahheemme
Summary: Ash gains telepathy from a chance encounter with a psychotic Kadabra. The result is a series of experiences that teach Ash quite a bit about his Pokemon, with a few unexpected developments along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: **_Okay, usually I write screenplays and original fiction, so this is my first (finished) fanfic. The idea came from a dream and I had to write it. It ended up being a lot longer and a lot more satisfying than I originally thought. Enjoy! [I also haven't seen the show in YEARS, so my continuity may be a little off. It's supposed to take place between Johto and Hoenn as just a "thing that happened one time, maybe" story.]

* * *

**Chapter One:**

For a psychic, it had some pretty nimble hands. The Kadabra stood still and focused, flipping its spoon between its fingers with a look of intense concentration in its eyes. Pikachu was more excited than anything else. He had a love for combat that outweighed almost anything. He would time and time again admit to himself that it could be some kind of psychological hangup, but he was always having too much fun to do anything about it. He always giddy in these middle moments. The point between resignation to fight and the actual act of battling. The tense Mexican Standoff before the big finish. Pikachu wasn't much of a strategist, per se, but he always just let Ash do the planning for the both of them.

Unlike the subtly jittery Pikachu, Ash was as still as a human being could possibly be. He was more focused than the Kadabra. There were people that would call him childish, excitable, over-ambitious, and even overly caring and sappy. However, none of those people would call Ash stupid. Despite the trust he put into his Pokemon, he knew that this was bad. A wild Kadabra is as about as dangerous as you could get. Abra don't usually evolve in the wild, so this one was likely released by a trainer. And from the looks of it, a good one. A thousand questions battered down the doors of his subconscious and flooded his head.

_Can Pikachu handle this maybe I should use a psychic pokemon but I don't have any with me this shouldn't have happened this is my fault why was I so STUPID!?_

And, like he did before every battle, he pushed aside all the cluttered fragments of thoughts like clearing a table of scattered papers. He closed his eyes, breathed in once, and slowly opened them. He was ready.

"Let's start out with the basics. Thundershock! Now!"

Pikachu smirked slightly before attacking. In a millisecond, the pressure in the air dropped so fast that a nearby Rattata got a nosebleed and confusedly stumbled away to attend to it. The static electricity in the air doubled. Ash made sure not to touch any of the buttons on his jacket. Kadabra's spoon sparked in its hand, serving as a preface to the actual attack. The Kadabra itself, however, was unfazed.

Pikachu let out a yell that would have intimidated the biggest of Pokemon before unleashing a massive thunderbolt that traveled parallel to the ground, electrifying the blades of grass it passed over before they burned away. It slammed into the Kadabra with enough force to overturn a truck. It skidded backward in the dirt a few inches before the lightening passed. Covered in second degree burns and literally sparking from its mustache, the Kadabra breathed out a heavy, controlled breath and opened its eyes with an unexpected calm.

The sinking feeling in his gut told Ash that this Kadabra was _very_ well trained and could surely kill the two of them in a heartbeat if it was so inclined. Pikachu was having a blast, embracing the tingling feeling the excess static left on his fur. He was elated at the prospect of being alive at this very moment and never wanted this electric euphoria to end.

Kadabra was silent.

"Okay, Pikachu. Looks like he didn't get the message. Lets go with a dose of pure Thunder. Ready?" Pikachu turned his head to Ash. The elated twinkle in his eyes told Ash the answer. "Alright then! Thunder!"

This time, as the pressure dropped again, the world went silent. Every molecule in the air quivering in anticipation as a chaotic maelstrom raged above.

"CHHUUUUUUUUUUU!" screamed Pikachu as a bolt of lightening, twice as big as the first, rained from the sky so fast that to everyone _but_ Pikachu, it was simply a flash of light and an explosion of dirt and rocks. As the dust settled, the Kadabra lay on it's side, still.

"Yes!" shouted Ash as he pumped his fist in the air. "We got it! Great job, Pi-" His celebration was brought to a screeching halt as the Kadabra stiffly sat up.

"Uh-oh. I guess that wasn't quite enough. You wanna finish it off?" Ash knew that he was fighting with more malice than usual, but the Kadabra presented more danger than Pikachu realized. As Ash spoke, the small mouse's cheeks sparked. "Did I even need to ask?" Pikachu shook his head before sprinting a few feet closer to the Kadabra.

Ash glanced at the psychic Pokemon. He saw that as he was talking, the Kadabra had stood up, a look of fury in its eyes and clutching its spoon like a club. It stared furiously at Pikachu until, suddenly, it stopped. Its demeanor relaxed and its mouth opened slightly in realization. Its piercing and spine-tingling gaze shifted.

Ash stood ramrod stiff in a new found fear. The Kadabra had started to stare at _him. _

"Pikachu! Quick Attack! Hurry!" Pikachu darted forward and became a small, yellow blur. This wasn't his favorite move in the world, but Ash knew what he was doing. He trusted him.

The Kadabra finally made a move. A split second before the blur crashed into it, it pointed at a large nearby rock and made a sweeping motion with its hand. The rock rose a foot off the ground and slammed into Pikachu when he was a meter away from his target. The Kadabra then raised its hands, dropped its spoon, and pointed its palms toward Ash.

_Psychic_, He immediately thought in paralyzing fear.

Ash saw a light shock wave radiate throughout the forest. The grass was flattened and the trees shook slightly, but that was it. For a split second, he thought that the attack had failed. Then, he saw that the trees and sky had started to melt, revealing a multitude of shifting colors, some of which Ash didn't recognize. Suddenly, his head was once again flooded with the same thoughts he had pre-battle. Only this time, there was a second voice.

_ Can Pikachu handle this maybe I should _SLEEP_ use a psychic Pokemon but I don't _SLEEP _have any with me this shouldn't _SLEEP_ have happened this is my fault why was I so _SLEEP_ STUPID!?_

"Get out of my mind!" Ash shouted as he grabbed his head. Pikachu, meanwhile, managed to push the rock off of himself just enough to wriggle out. He shook his head and looked over to Ash. He was on his knees, clutching his head and screaming. Pikachu, frozen in shock, glanced over at the Kadabra. Its eyes were glowing a strange color and it was holding it's arms out at Ash. Without thinking any further, Pikachu charged as fast as he could at the other Pokemon.

Meanwhile, Ash's world was literally falling apart. He was floating in a white void when the sky caved in and filled the world with a dark, oily substance. The room filled up with blackness and Ash was engulfed by it. A door then opened in the darkness, shining a light that obliterated the surrounding blackness. The doorway then became black itself and formed into a small ball the size of Ash's head. Then, it _became _Ash's head.

"_Can Pikachu handle this maybe I should _SLEEP_ use a psychic Pokemon but I don't _SLEEP _have any with me this shouldn't _SLEEP_ have happened this is my fault why was I so _SLEEP_ STUPID!?_" the floating head said. It then morphed into a Pokeball. The Pokeball opened and swallowed the world in darkness again.

Sleep. He heard it again. In this world, he wasn't Ash. He was simply a small, frightened id trying to escape. Sleep. The id decided that this might be a good idea. It felt sleepy. It should go to sleep. Sleep. The id curled up into a tiny ball. The ball got smaller and smaller until it almost poofed away. Just went away. Bang! Just like a candle...

In the real world, Brock and Misty, who had been watching from the sidelines, sprinted through the underbrush.

"What happened!?" Misty shouted.

"That Kadabra attacked Ash! It used some kind of psychic attack. Hang on." While running, Brock fished a Pokeball from his bag and threw it against a tree. A flash later, Geodude was floating in the air in front of them.

"Geodude! Go help Pikachu take down that Kadabra!" Brock shouted as they ran past him. Geodude grunted in agreement and flew off. Brock and Misty both crashed through the bushes next to Ash. He was in the fetal position on the ground, laughing hysterically while tears streamed down his face. His right ear had started to bleed and his pupils were heavily dilated.

"Oh man! This is bad!" Brock said.

"What's wrong with him!?" Misty said. Brock crouched next to Ash and lifted his head.

"He got hit with something hard. My guess: psychic. Humans just aren't used to attacks like that. Plus, that Kadabra isn't exactly a pushover either."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Don't worry. If I know Pokemon like I think I do, we're already helping." He rose and looked over to the Kadabra. Pikachu was charging like a missile toward the Pokemon's legs. Geodude burst from the trees and quickly assessed the situation. He dropped to the ground and pulled a rock from the dirt. He then threw it as hard as he could at the Kadabra's head.

The Kadabra was so focused on Ash, it didn't even see what attacked it. The boulder slammed into its head at the same time Pikachu slammed into its legs, causing it to cartwheel in the air before crumpling to the ground, unconscious. As the Kadabra hit the ground, Ash's nightmarish laughter stopped and he promptly passed out.

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_**(Second) Author's Note:**_ Thanks for reading and sticking with me so far. I wrote this all at one time, so there really aren't supposed to be chapter breaks. I split it up so that it would be easier to read instead of one loooooooong page of text. Also, it becomes comedy in all the other chapters, I swear.

Constructive criticism is always welcome, of course.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour later, Ash groggily woke up. He had his jacket draped over him like a blanket and his head propped up on Brock's bag.

"Oh, good. You're okay." Brock was crouching over Ash. He stood up and called, "Hey! Everyone! Ash is awake!"

"Wh...What...Where's the Kadabra?" Ash asked.

"Ever the Poke-lover, aren't you? We managed to knock it unconscious and stuff it in a spare Pokeball. But believe me when I say that I don't think any of us want that vicious thing."

"What happened?" Ash asked as he sat up.

"Whoa, hang on." Brock put a hand on Ash's chest. "Don't stand up just yet. That Kadabra attacked you with Psychic."

"Yeah, I remember that. What happened afterwords?"

"We found you twitching and freaking out on the ground. Pikachu was already attacking the Kadabra and I sent Geodude to help him."

"Good. Is Pikachu alright?"

"Of course he is. It'll take a lot more than that to take out that furry little battery." Brock stood. "You'd know that better than I would."

"Yeah, of course. Sorry, my head's bugging me. I've got a nasty headache." Ash stood up slowly and stumbled over to a tree next to Brock and leaned up against it. "I just need some food. I'll be okay."

"Sure. Hey, we're just outside Pallet Town. We can go give the Kadabra to Professor Oak when you feel up for it." Brock looked over into the field. "Here they come."

Misty walked around the corner carrying a couple of logs with Pikachu on her shoulder and Geodude floating close behind.

"That sure was fast. _I thought that idiot girl would get distracted by trying to _argue_ the firewood from the trees_." Brock said. Ash winced. Misty was _not_ going to take that in stride.

"Sure was! We found a cabin in the woods. The old lady let us borrow a little firewood. _I guess I'm too FAST for you now, is that it Brock? Is that your new half-assed reason to yell at me?_" Misty said. Ash blinked and jumped a little. That was a little too mean. Even for Misty. He didn't understand why they were taking these insults so well. Was this some new way to argue?

Misty set the firewood down. Pikachu jumped on top of the nearest one and started to try and balance on top of it.

"You had me worried _sick, _Ash! How dare you scare me like that!"

"Uh...Sure thing Misty. I'll make sure I don't get _attacked_ again. Sorry about that."

"Hmph!" She turned her back to him. "_Thank God he's alright. I don't think I could stand him being gone. I'd probably go insane_."

"Wow...Thanks, Misty." Ash said, taken aback. She spun around like a top, glaring at him.

"Was I talking to you!?"

"Uh...No?"

"That's right I wasn't! _He's so oblivious, some times. I guess that's what makes him so kind._" She turned her back again and strutted off into the woods.

"That was...Hey, Brock? Does Misty seem weird to you?"

"Not...any weirder than she normally is. Why? _Weird, no. Annoying, GOD YES." _said Brock as he got out his cooking supplies.

"I don't know. She seems...more blunt today than she usually is."

"Hmm. I don't really know how she could be _more_ blunt, but I didn't really notice any difference. _Misty's too conceited to change her attitude at all, anyway._"

"Man, that was a little harsh. Could you take it easy on her?"

Brock suddenly stopped and turned.

"Ash, I didn't say anything." He stood up. "Come here. Are you alright? Do you have a fever?"

"No, I'm fine. It's just a headache." He rubbed his head and sat down. Pikachu had been looking concerned at him for a while and now came over to see if he was okay. "You saved my butt back there, Pikachu. Thanks a lot. I'm glad you're okay." He took off his hat and put it onto Pikachu.

"Pika! _Ditto_." he said as he lifted the bill out of his eyes.

Ash stared at Pikachu, dumbfounded. If he wasn't completely insane, Pikachu had just spoken. He had just spoken with two voices at the same time, no less. Pikachu's tail twitched with unease and he started to slowly back away.

"_Why is he staring at me? Why is he staring at me? What did that Kadabra DO to him?_"

"Are...are you talking?" Ash asked pensively. Pikachu's eyes widened.

"_Ah crap. That's it. He's insane. That Kadabra drove him off the deep end. I didn't know it would end like this. Maybe I can live with his mom. She's basically a female...not crazy Ash. As long as I don't get sent out into the wild. I wouldn't be able to acclimate. It just wouldn't work. I'd just feel obligated to go with the other Pikachu, but none of them ever know what they're talking about. They're just as stupid as I used to be when I was wild. Man, THAT was a long time ago wasn't it?"_

"I'm not crazy! You're talking right now! I can hear you RIGHT NOW!"

"_Yeah. Okay. I believe you. Sure thing._"

Ash snapped his head over to Brock, who was now standing with a frying pan in his hand.

"He's talking! Can't you hear it!?"

"Ash...Pikachu isn't talking. He...can't. _If it gets too much, I'll have to knock him out. Maybe take him to a doctor. Are there any around here?_"

"Alright, fine! You think I'm crazy! YOU'RE the ones who are crazy. I'm not going to any hospital! Keep that frying pan away from me."

Brock's eyes suddenly widened in comprehension. He dropped the frying pan and got on eye level with Ash.

"Ash, I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 100. What is it?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"_46?" _Pikachu said.

"See! He was talking again!" Ash snapped his head over to Pikachu. Pikachu set his jaw and sparked his cheeks in warning. Brock grabbed Ash by the face and snapped his head right back.

"What. Number. Am I. Thinking of? _I'm not thinking of a number_."

"You're not thinking of a number. You just said that."

"Without moving my mouth?"

Ash stopped struggling as comprehension dawned on him as well.

"Ash, I think you can read minds."

Ash was dumbfounded. He slumped back in amazement. Pikachu didn't.

"_Holy sweet mother of thunder, that's awesome! God, that's SO AWESOME!" _He clambered up onto Ash's lap. "_You can hear my thoughts? What am I thinking of right now? Coconuts._"

"Coconuts?"

"_YES! This is so awesome! This is the coolest thing I've ever seen, and I can shoot lightening out of my face!" _He turned to Brock._ "What am I thinking now? Crickets."_

"He can't read your mind. That's just me...I... guess."

Pikachu turned back to Ash. _"Okay then. What am I thinking of? Crickets."_

"Crickets."

"_Yes! I am! We can finally get past that stupid language barrier! We can take over the world!_"

"But I don't _want_ to take over the world."

"_Neither does anybody, but when you've got the means you're almost obligated to at least TRY."_

"Sure...Actually, I didn't think there was any language barrier to begin with. We always seemed to understand each other pretty well before."

"_Well..._yeah_, but this cuts out any unnecessary exposition on my part. How many times do I have to say 'Pika Power' for you to understand what I'm talking about? None. Not anymore."_

"That's true, I guess. But since when were you so scatterbrained?"

"Think about it," Brock chimed in. "Not only is he technically a mouse, but he's also powered by electricity. I can't think of a single thing _slow _about that combination."

"_Ha! See! I'm not scatterbrained! I'm just hyperactive! _Pika pikachu? _By the way, can you understand what I say when I speak?"_

"No, I still can't. When you talk, I hear what you're saying and what you're thinking at the same time."

"_So I guess I won't have to use my mouth-words much." _Pikachu snatched the hat off of his head and threw it back to Ash. "_Here. Take this back." _

"Thanks." Ash put the hat back on and stood up. "This is all still weird for me. Lemme see something." He turned to Geodude who had been watching the situation unfold in silence. "Geodude, think something."

Geodude closed his eyes and exasperatedly sighed. "_There. I'm thinking something. Happy now?_"

"Haha! I knew it! I am psychic!"

"_Yes. We came to this conclusion a few minutes ago. May we please attend to the matter at hand?"_

"Uh...Right. And...that is...?"

Geodude sighed again and rubbed his temples. Or, at least where his temples would have been.

"_Step 1: Going to Pallet Town. Step 2: Visiting Professor Oak and delivering this rogue Kadabra. Step 3: Releasing all the other Pokemon for a relaxation trip while you visit your mother. Step 4: Attending to and investigating your new found psychic abilities, or whatever you wish to call this psychobabble."_

"Wow. You're a lot more negative than I thought you were."

"He's not negative, Ash. He's just abrasive." said Brock.

"And how do you know?"

"I don't need psychic powers to understand how my own Pokemon think. If I'm going to care for Pokemon in any way, that's the first thing I need to learn."

"_I simply don't enjoy these frequent breaks and vacations. Sure, everyone needs time off now and again, but my process for life is to sit back, analyze, and assess. When there's nothing to do, there's nothing for me to assess. I feel listless and out of place. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"_

"Yeah. I guess so." Ash said, hanging his head slightly. "Sorry I called you negative."

"_Apology accepted, Ash. Now, may we please find Misty and get out of here?"_

"Sure." Ash looked around. "Where did she go?"

"_There's a stream around here somewhere, isn't there?" _Geodude said.

"She's probably cooling down there." Brock finished. Ash gaped slightly.

"How did you-" he pointed dumbly from Brock to Geodude, then exasperatedly dropped his arm. "Nevermind. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

"_So...think about it. Is a Ghastly really a _ghost_ Pokemon? How does that make sense? I mean, I ghost is the soul of something dead, right? So, are Ghastlies, Haunters, and Gengars just _dead_ Pokemon? I mean, are they born dead or something?"_

"I think that they're really just _gas_ Pokemon." Ash responded.

"_But that raises even MORE questions! How did the gas become sentient? How is it that gas can evolve and grow? Does it become _more_ gas? I get that physical attacks can't hurt it. I'll buy that. But why do elemental attacks affect it? Never have I heard of anyone or anything setting _fog_ on fire."_

"Well, how do you create electricity?"

"I _control the air pressure to the point where I can control the weather in a localized area. It's basically like being psychic for the atmosphere. There's also a small amount of control over ambient static electricity in there somewhere. Honestly, I'm not too concerned with _how _I do what I do. That's what I have you for."_

"Gee, thanks."

Pikachu sighed. "Of course _ I have you for more than that."_

"Thanks for admitting that."

"_Any time. Who's head would I ride on otherwise?"_

"Hahaha. Very funny."

"_I thought so_."

Ash and Brock were on the road to Pallet Town with Pikachu riding tandem on Ash's head. Ash figured that Misty was still steaming about something or other, so they called and said they were heading to town and to meet up at the Pokemon Center.

Ash had been practicing with his telepathy and had found a way to block out ambient thoughts, though it took a bit of concentration.

"The thing is," he had said earlier "is that I can't block out you." He pointed to Pikachu. "You just have so much thought going on at all times that it would be too much of an effort to try to block you." To this, Pikachu simply said "Pika" and started playing around with Ash's backpack.

_To tell the truth, _Ash thought, _I don't really want to block anything out anyway. We've been best friends for years and I couldn't understand a word he said. I should have been looking for a way to communicate long before now._

"Y'know, all these conversations seem pretty interesting from my end." Brock said, laughing.

"_Tell him they're not. And that you're boring." _Pikachu paused "_You're boring."_

"No I'm not! I just can't keep up with your constant commentary! That's all!"

"_Yeah, okay. Suuuuuuure you can't. I'm not _that_ sporadic."_

"Yes, you are."

"_Oh yeah? Well I wanna get down! How about that!?" _Pikachu jumped from Ash's head with his hat in hand. He hit the ground, looked at the hat, then threw it. "_HA!" _He said as he ran down the road. As Ash stooped to pick it up, Pikachu darted back as fast as he could and snatched the hat in his mouth. "_HA HA!" _ he said as he ran off.

"Hey! Get back here with that!" Ash shouted as he took off after the small yellow blur.

"_It's _my_ hat now! Now watch as you cause your own downfall! Quick Attack!" _Pikachu stopped for a split second, then shot off down the road like a bullet, leaving a small patch of scorched dirt from the electricity he emitted. Ash slowed down and stopped in his tracks, mouth gaping.

"Maybe you trained him a little _too_ well." said Brock as he walked past.

They eventually met up at the Pokemon Center. Pikachu was standing on top of a newspaper kiosk, surrounded by young girls with Ash's hat still in his mouth.

"!"

"_Yes, yes...Aren't I so cute? I know! My cheeks are adorable. My wittle scrunchy tail is so cuuute, isn't it?"_

"Hey! Pikachu!" Ash called. Pikachu blinked, looked up, then jumped over the shortest girl and ran to Ash.

"Pika Pii!" He said in the cutest way possible. "_I don't ever see _you_ loving me like that. Why do you hate me so much!? You should love me like 7 year old girls do!" _He said in as un-cute a way as he could muster. He screeched to a halt and spat out the hat. "_And what's the deal with this hat? Is it some kind of good luck charm? Did you weave it out of Mew-hair or something?"_

"It's my hat. It's....me." He stooped again to pick it up, then paused with his hand hovering above it. He snapped an anticipating glance at Pikachu who looked back innocently.

"_What?_"

"Nothing." he said. Ash chuckled and put the hat back on his head as they all walked inside.

Ash looked around. _Still the same. _ He thought. _Still creepily the same. _He walked up to the counter. "Hi, Nurse Joy!"

The Nurse Joy looked up confusedly from her filing and looked around, mildly afraid.

"How...do you know my name?"

"Uhmm.....Because you all...have the same name...?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Joy. She was gripping the file to her chest like it was a bludgeoning weapon and looked like she was about to pass out from fear.

"Ash!" came a voice from behind. He turned to see another Nurse Joy run in the front door, taking off a coat. "Ash! Thank goodness it's just you. She's new here. She doesn't know how things work yet."

"That's fine, Nurse Joy. Is this another sister we haven't met?"

"No, this is our cousin, Joanne."

"So...I guess her nickname is...."

"Joy. That's right."

"_Of course it is._" Pikachu thought.

"So....she's new here?" Brock said, turning his head in a sultry fashion.

"Don't do it." Ash warned.

"Don't do what?"

"What you _always do_."

"I'm just going to talk to her." He started walking over to the counter. Ash turned.

"She's new here! You saw how nervous she was! You're just gonna freak her out more!"

"You're just jealous!" Brock screamed.

"Jea- Of _what!?_" But it was too late. Brock was already leaning on the counter, slicking back his hair.

"Uhm...Ahh....Uhh....C-Can I help you sir?" stammerd Joanne. She was still clutching the file folder so hard it was starting to tear.

"Yes ma'am...My name's Brock. What's yours?"

"J-Joanne. But everyone j-just calls me Joy around here." She looked around and whispered "_But I don't know why_."

"I'll call you whatever you want, beautiful. I'm one of the top trainers around here, you know."

"No you're not!" Ash shouted. "You're a Breeder!"

"Oh! My mistake, gorgeous." He continued, without a hint of faltering. "That's right...I'm a _breeder_."

"That's not what I meant! He's a _Pokemon Breeder!_" Ash shouted. Brock spun around like a top.

"I'll bet I _would_ be a better trainer if it weren't for _you!_"

"What...What does that even mean!?"

"It means stop blocking me out!"

"What? I'm not...Ahh!" Ash exasperatedly hung his head. He pointed to the left. "I'm gonna go sit down until you're done." He walked over to a bench and dropped onto it like a sack of bricks.

"_Hey, Ash!" _Pikachu said, walking over to him. "_You need to stop blocking him out, man."_

Ash groaned and put his head in his hands.

"_He's not a _trainer! _He's a _breeder_, man! A _breeder_! Can't you understand?"_

Ash glanced up at the door as he heard it slide open. Misty calmly but confidently strode in with a pair of handcuffs. She looked at Ash. He nodded at her and she returned the gesture. She unhooked the cuffs and walked briskly to Brock, who still had his back turned.

"Have you ever ridden on an Onyx in the moonlight, baby?" He asked in a voice that he thought was purr.

"What's an Onyx?"

Brock paused. "You're....You're not a very good nurse, are you?" As soon as the words left his lips, Misty slammed his head down on the counter and cuffed him. She dragged him to the corner of the room and hooked the free cuff to a railing.

"I'm so sorry." She politely said to Joanne. "My friend here is suffering from....stupid."

"That's....quite alright." said Joanne. Ash walked sheepishly to the counter.

"Could you please heal my Pokemon?"

"I'd be happy to!" said Joanne, showing the first smile of her whole day. Ash took off his belt of Pokeballs and set them on the counter.

"_Aaaaash! My nose hurts! My tail itches! Could you scratch my left ear!? And then the right one!? And then the left one again!?"_

Ash sighed, picked up Pikachu by his ears and set him down on the counter.

"And also heal this thing." he said, pointing. Pikachu giggled and sat still. Ash then slumped, back to the bench next to Misty and plopped down, exhausted.

"Long day?" she asked.

"You have no idea." He responded while pulling his hat over his eyes.

"PIIIKKAAAA!"

Ash sat up just in time to see Pikachu bat a Pokeball out of Nurse Joanne's hand with his tail. She backed up, petrified.

"Wha-Wha- I-I don't understand! What-!?" At that instant, Nurse Joy ran around the corner.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry about this! I completely forgot!" She turned to her cousin. "Ash's Pikachu has special needs. Next time, tell me whenever he comes in.

"Ye-Yes, Nurse Joy."

"I'm so sorry about this, Ash. We didn't know you'd be coming back home so soon. We weren't prepared."

"That's okay. I'm sorry we caused so much chaos." He turned to Pikachu who was panting.

"_What?" _he asked. "_You know about my hangup with these kinds of things. You're lucky I can even stand going to the doctor."_

"Yeah, alright." Ash whispered. "By the way, you're going to have to explain that hangup to me later."

"_Can do." _Pikachu said as he jumped off the table and followed Nurse Joy down the hall.

"Are you okay?" Misty asked. "You seem exhausted."

"I'll be fine." Ash said. "Today's just a weird day." He walked over to the phone kiosk and dialed a number. After three rings, a voice answered.

"Hello? Oak's Lab."

"Hey, Tracey? It's Ash." The video screen flashed and an image of Tracey's face appeared onscreen.

"Hey, Ash! Long time, no see!"

"Yeah! Hey, can I talk to Professor Oak?"

"He's out right now, but he'll be back in a little while. Wanna leave him a message?"

"That's alright. We're just outside town. Just tell him that we're coming over, will you?"

"Sure thing. See ya!"

"Bye!" Ash hung up and turned to Misty.

"Are you alright? You were pretty mad back there in the forest." He asked.

"Well, I'm okay now, but I was mad that you were thickheaded enough to go up against a wild Kadabra like that. What happened was bad, sure, but you can't say you didn't see it coming from a mile away."

"Oh yeah, like _you_ could?"

"Hey, Ash. I may not have been able to predict that Kadabra attacking you directly, but you don't need to be a psychic to see that something bad was going to happen. Don't forget. _I _used to be the leader of a Gym. You keep forgetting that I'm just as good a trainer as you.

"Yeah...I guess you're right..." He sheepishly scratched the top of his head. "Hey, speaking of psychics, there's something I've got to tell you."

"What is it?"

"You remember how that Kadabra used Psychic on me? It had some side-effects."

"Like what?"

"Well...I can hear thoughts now."

"Very funny, Ash. Fine, I'm sorry I got mad at you."

"No, really. I can read minds. Think of a number between one and a thousand."

"Is this really necessary?"

"Just do it."

Misty sighed. "Fine." She closed her eyes. "There. Got it. _450_"

"450."

Misty snapped her eyes open wide and her mouth gaped a little. Immediately, she snapped her jaw closed and furrowed her forehead.

"You cheated!"

"No! I didn't! I can really read minds!"

"You're making this up! There's no way this is real!"

"I'm not! Go ahead, think of a word. Any word."

"Fine! _Goldeen_."

"Come on, think of something better than that."

At this, Misty shot Ash a look of confusion, fear, and annoyance. He might as well have been speaking French.

"O-Okay..._Pirates._"

"Pirates."

"Wh-There is no _way!_ You have got to...You just _have_ to be....You can really read minds?"

"Yeah."

"So in the forest....when you thanked me...."

"Yeah. I guess I was hearing your thoughts. I-"

Misty suddenly grabbed Ash by the jacket and slammed him up against the wall.

"Don't _ever_ go into my mind again, Ash! Do you understand me!? _Ever!"_

"Misty! Stop! I'm sorry! It was an accident the first time! I didn't mean to! Let me go!" As Misty released her hand, Ash temporarily broke concentration and accidentally heard a snippet of thought.

"Sorry, Ash, but I had to do it. I take my thoughts very seriously. _Never again Not even him. Never again. No compromise. _Why do you think I don't use Psyduck that much? _Never never never never too close never never never again."_

"It's alright. I understand." coughed Ash. "Since when were you so strong?"

"Since _you_ stole my bike." she said with the tiniest hint of a smirk.

"Ash! Your Pokemon are ready!" called Nurse Joy. She wheeled in a cart with all his Pokeballs on it. Pikachu was riding on top, looking refreshed. He jumped off and ran to Ash as he walked forward to get his Pokemon.

"_I got done up all special!_"

Ash laughed as he put the shrunken Pokeballs back on his belt.

"Hey! Misty! We're ready to go! Get Brock unhooked!"

"Okay! Hang on!" Misty went out the front door and came back a few minutes later with Officer Jenny.

"Misty! _This_ is what you wanted the handcuffs for!?"

"Believe me, Officer Jenny. It was either this or knock him unconscious."

"Well...Alright." She produced a small key from her belt and unhooked Brock from the wall. She then turned to Misty. "You're lucky I know you three or you'd be in big trouble."

"_That's another thing that bothers me. Why is it always you _three_? Every once in a while, a trainer acknowledges my existence in our little entourage, but most of the time I go unnoticed. It's just enough to get under my skin a bit." _

"Part of that could be that you're about _knee _height and out of _everyone's_ field of vision. Honestly, if I didn't have to keep tabs on you all the time, I'd probably forget you were there."

"_Well that's reassuring. Thanks_."

Brock stood up and rubbed his wrists. He then stole one long, longing glance toward Joanne. You could almost see hearts where his eyes should be.

"I'll never forget you, my dearest love!" He shouted. "No matter who wants to keep us apar-HRRGKKK!" Misty had snatched the handcuffs and had wrapped the chain around his neck. Officer Jenny had to physically pull her off of him.

"Misty! I can't rightfully condone this kind of behavior!"

"I'm sorry, Officer, but the only thing that'll stop Brock from being a womanizer for good is a handfull of roofies and a blackjack. Besides, he's tough! This is nearly a daily thing and he's not dead yet!"

"Alright, but be sure not to do anything like this in front of me, okay? Also, if he goes missing, I'm writing you up as a suspect."

"Fair trade. C'mon, loverboy. Let's go see Professor Oak. Maybe he'll give you a prescription for those heartbreak blues." She grabbed Brock by the hair on the back of his head and pulled him out the door.

"Officer Jenny?" said Ash. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Ash. What is it?"

"Could you call the Jenny in charge of the Squirtle Squad and have her send my Squirtle over to Oak's lab?"

"Sure thing. What is it for?"

"I just haven't gotten to see him for a while an I figure we need to catch up."

"Okay. I'll do that. Bye, Ash! See you later!"

"Bye, Officer Jenny!"

"_You're up to something. I know you are. Whatever it is, I want in as long as we don't have to kill anyone. Sure, I'm solid for roughing up someone in the basement of a train station and robbing banks, but I draw the line at murder. I don't know what kind of sick plan of yours involves Squirtle, but I want no part of it. You can't get me as a witness, either. I'll turn you in if you do something stupid. Take my word on it." _

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Ash said as they walked out the door to catch up with Brock and Misty, who were undoubtedly fighting.

After they left, Joanne called her cousin in the room.

"Yes?"

"I don't want to be a Pokemon Nurse anymore."

"What?! Why?"

"Well...How often do we have to deal with people like that? They're....They're _really_ weird."

"How so?"

"Well, the younger one was talking to his Pikachu and arguing with it like it was talking to him, but it wasn't even doing the normal 'Pika Pika' thing. I think that Brock guy was going to kidnap me and that Misty girl was probably going to kill him."

"Yeah...They're a bit eccentric."

"Will they....Will they ever come back?

"Don't worry, Joanne." said Joy in a comforting tone. "I'll deal with them next time they come in."


	4. Chapter 4

"Ash! You're back!" Professor Oak shouted excitedly. He handed the groceries he was carrying to Tracey, who was already overloaded. "Here. Take these upstairs."

"But...Professor! My hand are already...." Tracey sighed and hefted the bags upstairs, but not before he managed to croak a strained "Hi Ash!"

"_Sure. No, no, go ahead and ignore me. _I _don't mind at all." _Said Pikachu, grumpily.

"Oh! And how could I forget!? Good afternoon, Pikachu!"

"Pika! _Y'know, I've always liked this guy._"

"Hi Professor!"

"What brings you back to Pallet Town?" Oak asked. "Oh, and weren't Brock and Misty with you?"

"What?" Ash turned to find the two of them gone. "They...were with me a second ago." Suddenly, he heard a metal clang from outside and a shout of rage.

"Oh." he said, turning back. "They're outside."

"What on earth are they doing?"

"Trust me, Professor. We've learned to ignore a lot once Misty and Brock start fighting. You should probably do the same."

"Well....Alright then. _There seems to be a lot of misplaced aggression between those two. Perhaps and extensive regimen of psychoanalysis would dislodge some of the deep-seated defense mechanisms. Brock is so much older than Misty. Maybe hints of an Electra complex? Beaten by her father and takes it out on the oldest male she can get her hands on? Possibly."_

"Uhh...Right. Professor, there's something I have to talk to you about."

"Well of course, Ash. I'll do whatever I can."

"Before we came into Pallet, me and Pikachu ('_Oh sure! Let's have _you_ be first! You're not my friend anymore!') _got into a battle with a wild Kadabra_._"

"My goodness! A Kadabra!? In this ecosystem!? This is astounding news!"

"Sorry to get your hopes up, Professor, but I think it was just a Kadabra released by a trainer. I don't think it could have evolved on its own."

"You think so? Oh, well. Better luck next time, I suppose."

"Yeah. That's not the real news, though."

"Oh? Do tell."

"During the battle, the Kadabra stopped fighting Pikachu and turned to _me_. It knocked Pikachu out of the way and used Psychic on me."

"It did _what!?" _Professor Oak exlaimed. "Ash, that is _extremely _dangerous! Using a move that powerful on a human could have easily _killed _you! _Or even worse, could have caused incurable psychological scarring the likes of which we have never seen. He's lucky he's not catatonic by now."_

"Wow, I guess I was lucky, then."

"_Or you had the most awesome Pokemon to walk the face of the planet on your side. You're welcome."_

"What did you do with the rogue Pokemon?" Oak asked.

"Geodude helped Pikachu to-"

"Ah, so you have a Geodude now?"

"No, Brock's Geodude."

"Oh, excuse me. Please continue."

"Anyway, Geodude helped Pikachu to weaken the Kadabra enough for Brock to catch it while I was unconscious."

"Good! Kadabras are very powerful Pokemon! If you train it right, it will serve as a powerful ally for you."

"No, Professor. You don't understand. I don't think this Pokemon is like any we've seen before. There's something wrong with it and I know for a fact that it tried to kill me."

"_But didn't Charizard do that once or twice?" _asked Pikachu.

"Yeah, but I think that we're getting along now. At least, we were when we left the Charicific Valley."

"_I know this isn't a secret or anything, but he HATED you for the longest time. He always said stuff about how you didn't have the commitment that he needed, that you were holding him back from his true potential, all that jazz. But you're right. He did warm up to you after a while."_

"I didn't know that it went so deep."

"_Well maybe you should pay a little more attention to things that go on around you."_

"Hey! Just who do you think was the trainer that got all you Pokemon as far as you are now!?"

"_Please, half those moves were by accident and another quarter were improvised by _me_ thank you very much."_

"You little prick."

Pikachu started laughing. "_You are such a hothead! I was just joking, Ash." _Pikachu walked over and hugged Ash's leg. "_You know we all love you so much. Awww...."_

This caused Ash to start laughing, which caused Pikachu to start laughing again, which resulted in Ash laughing harder until they were almost on their knees from near-hysterical laughter. Partly from the joke, and partly as a final obstacle to overcome for understanding all the overwhelming insanity that the day had felt the need to throw on them. The overwhelming insanity that their lives had taken. They were shedding themselves of all their misplaced emotions for each other (however few there may be) and were finally reaching a new level of understanding, harmony, and brotherhood.

Ash eventually regained his composure enough to stand and wipe the tears from his eyes. He looked at Professor Oak, who was wearing a sober expression.

"Ash." he said, gently but firmly. He put his hand on Ash's left shoulder. "I'm not a professor in just Pokemon, you know. I have a PH.D in many scientific fields, including..." he hesitated, "psychology. If you need anyone to talk to, you'll always be welcome here."

"No! No, no, no! Professor, you don't understand!" Ash was trying his best to hold in another bout of hysterics while Pikachu had collapsed on the ground, laughing and holding his stomach. "I'm not crazy. That Kadabra somehow made me psychic. I can read minds now."

"You can _WHAT!?_ Tracey ran to the upstairs balcony overlooking the lab floor. "You're joking!"

"No! It's true! I can hear thoughts. Of people _and_ Pokemon."

Tracey immediately raced down the stairs so fast he slipped on the last step and tumbled into the wall. He got up and ran to the back door that led to the Pokemon Ranch in the back.

"Slyther!" He shouted! "Slyther! Come in here!"

Tracey's Slyther slowly plodded in the door with a confused, but mostly exasperated look on his face.

"_What is it now...These two always need me when I'm in the middle of something." _He glanced up. "_Oh. Ash and Pikachu are here. They're always a good visit."_

"Slyther! Think of something! Anything!" Tracey said, excitedly. Slyther's brow furrowed and he stared confusedly at Tracey.

"Slyther?" He said as he looked at Ash, silently begging for comprehension.

"Just do it! Watch this!" Tracey turned to Ash. "Of course...If you're okay with this."

"Sure. I'll give it a shot."

Slyther sighed and thought to himself, "_Some of the Taurus got into the vegetable garden and I need to go and clean it up before I can check the east side of the ranch."_

"You said that some of the Taurus got into the vegetables and you can't go check up on the east side of the ranch until you clean it up."

Slyther's expression quickly changed from one of exhausted confusion to one of alarmed suspicion.

"_How on earth did he..." _He looked at Ash intently. "_How on earth did _you_ do that?"_

"It was an accident with a Kadabra." Ash said. Slyther nodded knowingly.

"_I've dealt with Kadabras before. Yes, strange things seem to happen when they're around."_

"Slyther, is that right? Is that was you were thinking?"

Slyther turned to Tracey. "Slyther." He said, nodding.

"That's amazing!" Tracey exclaimed. He turned to Ash. Before he could say something, the sliding doors opened behind them. Ash turned to see Brock and Misty walk inside, both with tousled hair, Brock with a large bruise, and Misty with a slight limp.

"Hey, guys. Where have you two been?"

"Just discussing things. _Pretentious bimbo."_

"But, you're covered in dirt and bruises." Ash said.

"Don't worry about a thing, Ash." said Misty. "We're alright now. _Thickheaded idiot. Can't even put up a good fight."_

"Uhh...Okay." He said, pensively.

"Is it true?" Professor Oak asked Brock and Misty. "Can Ash really read minds?"

"Oh yeah!" said Misty "Definitely! He proved it to both of us, earlier."

"_Of course." _thought Brock. "_Always has to get the first word in edgewise. Don't worry, Misty. It's alright. We're _all _looking at you. Isn't that what you want?"_

"Then Ash, this is an incredible breakthrough!" said Professor Oak. "This could revolutionize the way we study Pokemon altogether! Finally, we have a concrete method of communication!"

"Yeah, but it's not really perfect or anything." said Ash. "I don't just hear Pokemon thoughts. I hear everyone's thoughts. I can block some stuff out, but that takes concentration."

"Even still, this is a new beginning in the study of science itself!"

"W-Wait! You're not gonna study me like a guinea pig, are you?"

"Oh no! Of course not, Ash! Most likely, we scientists (_She's incompetent, full of herself, and just doesn't know when to shut up) _will simply try to recreate the circumstances of your accident in a controlled setting."

"Oh, good. You scared me at (_C'mon, Ash. Dump this guy so we can go off together!_)first, Professor." said Ash. "Actually, I was wondering if (_Useless. That's all I can say. She's useless. All she's doing is slowing us down._) you could help me figure out what caused (_Nothing I ever do is good enough for him! He's an elitist jerk! We were both Gym Leaders before! Why can't he see that we're the same, the idiot!?_) it in the first place.

"Well, It would probably have something to do with the psychic energy that Kadabra unleashed on you. Your (_No goals, no aims, no ambitions, nothing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's tagging along just for the sake of tagging along_) human brain probably ab (_Oh GOD, this is unbearable. I can't stand being in the same room with him for more than ten minutes_) sorbed some of the ambient energy. Mos (_If you're going to keep keeping her around, Ash, I'm leaving. I don't care anymore. I can't take another single day_)t Pokemon have their brains conditioned for....Ash, are you alright?" Professor Oak asked. Ash was holding his temples with both hands.

"Yeah, Professor, I'm (_With any luck, this will be Ash finally getting tired of Brock. Come on, Ash! Kick him to the curb!_) just....getting a he (_I've had enough of this. I'll have a talk with him later about Misty. With any luck, he'll wise up and drop her_) adache. It (_Pick Brock!_)'s nothing...(_Just_ please _get rid of Misty so we can go on with out lives_) I'll be...(_Pick Brock, dammit!_) I'll b (_Throw out Misty, Ash_)e...._**SHUT UP!**_"

Even Pikachu jumped at the sudden ferocity with which Ash spun around. He was breathing heavily, his fists clenched.

"But....Ash, we didn't say an-"

"BE QUIET!" Ash shouted. He was literally shaking with anger. "I've had enough of this constant hatred between you two!" Brock and Misty looked at each other, then back at Ash.

"What...are you talking about?" stammered Misty. Ash jabbed his finger at her.

"Misty, you think that Brock is an elitist and uptight jerk who doesn't appreciate all the good that you do." He moved his arm over to Brock. "Brock, you think that Misty is an hot-headed simpleton who doesn't know her own bicycle from her Pokemon." Ash, lowered his arm, panting. Brock and Misty backed away from each other, staring at the other as if they had just seen ghosts.

"Brock....I....I can't believe you....I can't believe you _felt_ that way about me." She bashfully brought clasped her hands in front of her chest. "I'm...not...._that_ annoying....am I?"

"Well..." Brock responded, "you have a tendency to...be a little selfish once in a while. Do you...think I'm that strict?"

"_If this is gonna get sappy, I think we should leave them alone."_ said Pikachu.

"Yeah...Misty, Brock...do you need some alone time?" Ash asked.

"Yeah..." Misty said, her eyes tearing up. "Yeah...I think that'd be best.

"Sure thing." said Ash delicately. He, Pikachu, and Professor Oak walked to the other side of the lab, leaving Misty and Brock to reconcile.


	5. Chapter 5

Ash slung his bag around his shoulder and pulled out all of his Pokeballs. As he put his bag back on his back, it slipped and knocked all the balls across the floor.

"_Nice job." _Pikachu said as they rolled past him.

"You be quiet." Ash said as he scrambled to pick them all up. He managed to secure them in a big pile on the ground in between his legs. Ash put his arms around the balls and tentatively stood. He spun his waist around and threw all the balls at once. In a blinding flash, they all opened at once, surrounding Ash with his Pokemon: Bayleef, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Heracross, and Noctowl.

Cyndaquil sneezed, sparking his flame quills to shoot out of his back. A couple sparks fell onto Bayleef.

"_Stop it!" _she shouted.

"_I didn't mean to! Stop being so mean!"_

"_It's not exactly _my _fault that you're liable to burst into flames at any given second!"_

"Hey! You two, stop fighting!" Ash said.

"_He started it."_

"I don't care if he started it. It was just an accident."

"_But if he doesn't control his fire, I-_" Bayleef stopped. " _Can you understand me?_"

"Yes I can. Okay! Everyone! Listen up!" Ash shouted. All his Pokemon stopped bickering long enough to pay attention. "We're back in Pallet Town, right now. And-"

"_Where's Pallet Town?_" asked Cyndaquil innocently.

"This is my hometown."

"_Oh. Does your mommy live here?_"

"Yeah, she does. Now can I please, talk?"

"_Sorry, Ash._"

"Anyway, we're back in Pallet Town and you're all going to stay with Professor Oak for a little while. I have some things I need to do here today. Also, I can read all your thoughts now, so I now I can understand you all. Any questions?"

Cyndaquil stepped forward. "_Can we go outside and play?_"

"_What kind of dumb question is that?_" Bayleef said, tossing her leaf back.

" _Stop being mean!_" He turned back to Ash. "_Ash! Bayleef is being mean to me again!_"

"Don't be so mean Bayleef. He just wants to go outside and play." He turned to Cyndaquil. "Yes."

"_Thank you, Ash!" _exclaimed Cyndaquil. His flame quills happily shot out his back and he ran outside to play.

"_Hey! Wait for me!_" Bayleef said as she ran after him. Noctowl raised one wing.

"_I have a question."_

"Okay. Shoot."

"_You said you can read minds now, correct?"_

"Yeah."

"_Well, did you mean reading our _minds_ or our _thoughts_?"_

"What do you mean? What's the difference?"

"_The difference is that thoughts and the mind itself are two different things. The mind is the construct of the self trying to attain it's own identity while thoughts are the inward, or outward as the case may be, constructions of the mind to radiate this determined sense of self. In simpler terms, are you reading our thoughts, or our brains, personalities, intentions, and other abstract concepts?"_

"Well...I guess I'm just hearing your thoughts."

"_Oh. Good. That solves that, then._" Noctowl said. He turned and flew out the open door. Now only Heracross and Totodile remained. Heracross looked around with a blank expression on his face.

"_I'm alone." _He turned around and faced the door. "_Light. Outside. Food. Happy."_ He slowly plodded out the door. Ash looked confusedly at Pikachu who shrugged.

"_I guess they can't _all_ be geniuses."_

Finally, Totodile was the only one left, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling.

"Um...Totodile?" Ash asked. Totodile jumped a little at the sound of his name and turned to Ash with his usual toothy grin on his face.

"_Hey!"_

"Were you even listening?"

"_Nope!"_ He continued to smile while hopping on one foot in anticipation.

"I was saying that I'm gonna have to leave you all here at Professor Oak's lab for a while."

Totodile stopped hopping and hung his arms arms limply at his sides.

"_Awww! Why!?"_

"I won't be gone forever, Totodile. I just need to fill up some more room to catch more Pokemon."

"_You mean more friends?"_

"Yeah." Ash said. Totodile spun in a happy circle and did a front flip in the air, all while spraying water out of his mouth.

"_Yay! More Pokemon for me to play with!_" He turned and raced out the door. "_Don't take too long, Ash!"_

"_So you're not gonna tell him about the whole mind-reading, brain-thing going on?" _Pikachu asked.

"No, I don't think so. Besides, I don't think it would make any difference. It would probably just make him..._more _happy."

"_Nah. He's already maxed out. I don't think it would make a difference._"

"Ash! Your Squirtle is here!" said Professor Oak from the teleporter in the corner of the lab.

"Good!" Ash walked over and took the Pokeball from Professor Oak.

"_What are you up to now?"_ asked Pikachu.

"Well, you, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charizard were some of the first Pokemon to ever join up with me. Since I can read minds now, I want to understand as much as I can about my Pokemon. I might as well start with my first."

"_What happened to the whole 'Oh Pikachu! There's no language barrier here! I can understand you just as well as you can understand me!' bit?_"

"That's just with you. You've got a Pokeball phobia, remember? You're the only Pokemon I have that is with me twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week."

"_And exactly what are you implying?_"

"Maybe _you've _outstayed your welcome, Pikachu. Maybe I don't need you anymore."

"_Well fine! I don't need you either! I'll catch my own Pokemon and I'll get double the badges _you_ ever could! What do you say about that!?_"

"I say you're on!" They stared intently at each other, waiting for one of them to start laughing. Neither of them gave in.

"_Y'know, if we don't laugh at this, the joke is gonna fall flat."_

"I think it just did." said Ash. He stood and looked away while Pikachu scratched his tail.

"_Well that was certainly awkward." _Pikachu finally said.

"Yeah....so....Squirtle! Go!" Ash threw the Pokeball. The usual flash of light erupted in front of them and Squirtle was standing happily in front of them.

"_Hey Ash! Long time no-" _Squirtle brought one of his hands up to his face.

"_Where the hell are my shades!?"_

"_What's wrong?" _asked Pikachu.

"_Where are my shades!? My sunglasses! Don't tell me they can't go through that teleporter!"_

"Hey! Professor!" Ash shouted. "Did a pair of sunglasses come through the teleporter?"

"Hold on, Ash." Professor Oak responded. "Let me check...Yes! Here they are!" He looked at them with a disgusted expression. "My, these are very ugly sunglasses."

Squirtle waddled over to Professor Oak and snatched the glasses out of his hands.

"_Like I'd ever ask style advice from a guy in a lab coat and mom jeans!" _Squirtle tossed the the glasses into the air and caught them on his face.

"_Ahh...That's better." _he thought. He plucked the sunglasses off his face and set them in the indention between his shell and neck as he walked back over to Ash.

"_You are such a fruit, man!" _said Pikachu, laughing.

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just _wish_ you looked this good in sunglasses, sparky._ _So what's up?"_

"_Not much. The usual battling stuff. Me being the star of the show. You know how it goes."_

"Wow." Ash chimed in. "We could power an entire city with the amount of ego being thrown around here."

Squirtle looked at Ash confusedly, then turned back to Pikachu.

"_What was that supposed to mean?"_

"_Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, Ash can understand Pokemon now."_

"_What!?" _Squirtle whipped around to face Ash. "_You can!?"_

"Yeah. I had an accident with a Kadabra and now I can read thoughts."

"_That is so awesome!"_

"_That's what I said!_" piped in Pikachu.

"_So...what are you gonna do with it?"_

"I don't really know just yet. Right now, I think I'm going to get to know some of my Pokemon a little better."

"_That's it?"_

"I didn't say that the _only _thing I'm gonna do with it! It'll definitely help me be a better trainer."

"_Don't try to fix what isn't broken, though._"

"Yeah, that's true. Still, I'm sticking to my plan. Which reminds me!" Ash turned. "Professor Oak! Could you do me a favor!?"

"Sure thing! What is it?"

"Could you call Liza at the Charicific Valley and have her send over Charizard? He should know the way here."

"Why can't you do it, Ash? I'm in the middle of something!"

"Please! I wanna go outside and talk to my Pokemon!"

"Oh, fine. You go. But before you leave, come back here and give me a summary of what you've learned. Don't forget: you're an asset to the entire science of Pokemon study."

"Will do, Professor! See ya later!" Ash said as he ran out the door with Squirtle and Pikachu.


	6. Chapter 6

"_I don't know. It sounds belittling to me."_

"_But it's _not_! Lookit, my Squad and I go around the city and fight fires. It's what we do. It's our _thing_."_

"_But isn't it just exploiting your abilities? Do the humans even _care_ that you fight the fires or do they just like when it gets done?"_

"_It's a lot better than mindlessly _fighting_ every Pokemon you come across. That's the thing about you. You always question what everyone else's purposes or motivations or WHATEVER are but you don't take the time to ask yourself!"_

Pikachu stopped dead in his tracks. "_It's because I don't _have to_! I _like_ to battle! I _like_ to fight! That's what _I _do! That's _my _thing!"_

"_Then how can you belittle what someone else does by that logic!? If you do something just because you 'like to,' doesn't that mean that others can like other things that you don't?"_

"_I'm not saying that! I'm just asking whether you like what you do."_

"_And I responded 'yes.'"_

"_Yes, you did. And I asked whether it was fulfilling or just time-consuming."_

"_Which is a pretty rude thing to say about someone's profession! I like what I do, not because I feel like it's the best use I can get out of my abilities but because it's what I LIKE TO DO. Every being in existence has a purpose that it has to fulfill. This is mine. Okay?"_

"_Okay. Fine. So, just to clarify, you answered 'yes' to my question?_"

"_Yes, I did. Come to think of it, what right do you have asking such an intrusive question like that?"_

Pikachu's cheeks sparked in frustration. "_I was just asking a question! I can't ask the Pokemon I grew up with what he's been doing for the past six months?"_

"_You're right. I'm sorry, man. I overreacted. You should have phrased the question a little better, but still."_

"_Oh my God! Seriously!?" _He frustratedly sparked his cheeks again, his fur rising on end from the static electricity. He spun around and stomped off into the bushes. "_Even when I WIN, I LOSE!"_

Ash was too fascinated by the argument to intervene. This was the first time he had seen his Pokemon interact this way. It was a little unsettling to see them fight, but it was even more reassuring to find out how close they really were. He just hoped that the other Pokemon had the same sentiment.

They were out in vast Pokemon Ranch behind Professor Oak's lab. Ash hadn't been out here much at all, but was counting on his Pokemon to show him around. When they weren't bickering, anyway.

Squirtle turned to Ash and grinned. "_I know it's wrong, but he's so easy to set off. It's really not that funny."_

"Wait, you mean that whole thing-"

"_Basically. What, was it that convincing?_"

Ash laughed. "Well..._yeah_."

"_Huh. I must be getting good at this." _Squirtle said while half-pondering to himself. "_Still, he's nowhere near as easy as Charizard. Seriously, did you know that there are actual _phrases_ that'll piss him off? Just on their own? It's weird, man. Like, trigger words."_

"No, but I'm not really surprised. He's always been kind of a hot-head." Ash said. Squirtle slapped his hand to his forehead.

"_Did you really just say that? 'Hot-head?' Why is it that I let you tell me what to do again?"_

"Hey! It was a joke! Everyone's entitled to at least one stupid pun every once in a while!"

"_Yeah, sure. Nice cover, by the way._" Squirtle smiled. Pikachu walked out of the bushes covered in dirt and leaves.

"_What were you doing?" _asked Squirtle.

"_You made me so frustrated that I had to run in a circle to let out all my extra energy."_

Ash walked over and looked over the bushes into a small clearing. A circular rut had been burned into the ground in the small clearing.

"Why'd you do that?"

"_Did you _want_ to get electrocuted again? Because honestly, Ash, you're overdue. Every once in a while, people need a good smack to keep from getting too full of themselves." _He turned. "Don't they, _Squirtle?"_

"_Please. Everyone else is just jealous." _He stopped for a second in thought, then turned to Ash. "_By the way, what are we _doing _out here?"_

"I just wanted to get a look around. Now that I can understand Pokemon, everything gets put into a brand new perspective."

"_So you just want to hang out and listen to people?" _said Squirtle, scratching his head.

_ "Toldja he was boring." _said Pikachu.

"_Hey, I was one of his first Pokemon. You don't need to tell me about the guy."_

Pikachu started counting on his fingers. "_You were the sixth Pokemon to join the team. WAIT!" _He snapped his head over to Ash. "_We need a team name!"_

"That's...actually a great idea! Team Ash?"

"_No! You suck! Stop talking!"_

"It's just as a starting point. Team...."

"_Fuzzballs._"

"_What?! No! Why do we need a team name?" _asked Squirtle.

"_Because no one will take us seriously otherwise!"_

"_The fact that you're on the team already prevents that!"_

"Just help us think of a name!"

"_Okay, fine...Team.....Hammerhead?"_

"_Cool, but a little misleading. Team....Nightmare."_

"That's even MORE misleading!"

"_But that's so awesome!_"

"_We're a Pokemon team, not a chop shop!_" Squirtle exclaimed.

"_A what? Nevermind, tell me later. Uh...Team.....Team.....SHOCKWAVE!" _Pikachu shouted excitedly.

"_NO! That's so cliché!"_

_ "I don't care! We're Team Shockwave."_

"I can live with that."

"_But Pikachu's the ONLY electric Pokemon on the team!"_

"And he was also my first Pokemon. That gives him precedence."

"_Oh, that's SO not fair!"_

"I think it is. Man, Squirtle, you're so easy to set off."

This sent Pikachu into a fit of laughter that forced him to limp away to gain his composure. Ash simply looked at Squirtle with a grin on his face.

"_I....You son of...._" Squirtle sighed and clapped his hands. "_Good job on that one. Kudos._"

"Thanks. Okay, take me to the rest of the Pokemon!"

"_Man, we derailed HARD, didn't we?" _said Pikachu.

"No kidding. So guys, where do all the other Pokemon hang around?"

"_On any given day? Usually the waterfall. It's right next to the biggest field so all the different kinds of Pokemon can be together. No cooks having to stand in water." _explained Squirtle.

"Wait, cooks?"

"_Cooks?...Fire Pokemon?..." _He paused. "_Cooks use fire, Fire Pokemon use...IT MADE SENSE!"_


	7. Chapter 7

After walking at least a mile, and bickering for half of it, Ash, Squirtle, and Pikachu finally arrived at the waterfall. The falling water cascaded into a large pond at the foot of a small cliff. The pond lay adjacent to a large, open field that was scattered with dozens of Pokemon of all kinds.

Ash readied himself. There were so many Pokemon in one place. He had enough self control to block out drifting fancies, but he wasn't sure how many thoughts he could block out from this many Pokemon.

"_Cold feet?_" asked Pikachu.

"Kind of. I'm afraid that I might be overloaded with thoughts from all these Pokemon. Plus, I'm walking into a large area consisting of about fifty different creatures that could all kill me with a thought."

"_If it makes you feel any better,_" said Squirtle "_these Pokemon don't have jack on us._"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but it's not you guys I'm worried about."

"_Look at it this way._" Pikachu said. "_We're close enough to the Professor's lab that we could probably drag you halfway if you lose your legs or something._"

"Wow, Pikachu. You're right. I feel so much better."

"_Don't be a wuss. Just follow us._"

Pikachu and Squirtle walked side-by-side down the middle of the field. All the while, Ash was reeling from the variety of Pokemon all in one place.

"_I guess more people know about Professor Oak then I thought." _he thought to himself. As they walked down the slight hill, they passed dozens of Pokemon sunbathing, including an Arbok, several Pidgeys, and one very large lump of grass that forced Ash to confirm that it was, in fact, breathing.

"Snorlax?" he said to himself. Pikachu stopped and turned his head to look in the same direction.

"_Where?_"

"Are you blind? He's right...Oh. You're messing with me."

"_No, of COURSE I'm not messing with YOU, Ash." _he said sarcastically.

"Hang on...are you messing with me by pretending to be messing with me?"

"_Add another layer to that sandwich."_

"So you're messing with me by pretending to be messing with me messing with me?"

"_Bingo-bango."_

"I can't tell if you're an idiot or a genius, Pikachu." said Ash, exasperatedly.

"_I think I could pick a side._" said Squirtle. The two began bickering again while Ash opened his mind to read his Snorlax's. He had to bat aside the errant driftings of the Arbok and nearby Raticate to reach the mind of the sleeping giant.

Much to the surprise of Ash, instead of thoughts, all he found was the light sound of waves crashing on a beach. This sound then gradually shifted into that of a calm forest grove, and then into wind blowing through a field.

Then, as the sounds were starting to make Ash himself sleepy, a single thought cut them off abruptly.

"_There's someone in here."_

Snorlax lazily sat up and turned to look at him.

"_It's Ash. Cool. I hope it wasn't him that disturbed my meditation."_

"Hey! Snorlax! Long time, no see! Sorry if I woke you up, but I can read minds now and I wanted to find out as much about Pokemon as I could."

"_That's pretty cool. You disturbed my meditation time though."_

"Oh...I'm sorry." Ash said. Snorlax shook his head.

"_Don't be. It happens. I'd be happy to talk, but I've got to finish today's cycle." _He lay back down and rolled over, his back facing Ash. "_Just come back a little later._"

"Okay. Sure thing!" said Ash. He turned to see a Rattata facing him.

"_YoucanunderstandPokemon?"_ It said, rapidly.

"Uh..Yeah." said Ash, startled.

"_That''sreallycool.I'''-" _it suddenly stopped talking, staring off into the distance. It then jumped a little, and turned back to Ash.

"_YoucanunderstandPokemon?" _it asked, again.

"No."

"_'Kay." _ it said. It then ran off into the woods, thinking "_WHOOSH!" _to itself as it ran. Ash was close enough to the dark cover of the trees for a Zubat to flutter out and land on his shoulder. He looked at it, pleasantly startled as it looked back at him.

"_I have not tasted the blood of humans for some time now."_

"AHHH!" Ash shouted as he smacked the Zubat off his shoulder. It fluttered in the air for a second before flying back into the woods thinking "_Someday, I will feed again..."_

"_Well my, my, my! Look who turned up in this neck of the woods!_" Ash heard this thought emanate from over near the waterfall, fifty feet behind him. He was amazed at how far the thought had traveled and how much of its strength had been maintained. Upon seeing the sender, he knew why.

It was a Wartortle. It was extremely muscular, even among the standards of its own kind. It was lumbering toward Squirtle and Pikachu, the latter of whom wore a look of grotesque shock on his face at the approaching Pokemon. Squirtle simply stared at it, trying to silently ponder who it was that found him in this neck of the woods.

"_C'mon, bro! Don't tell me you don't remember one of your boys!"_ it said, patronizingly.

A dawning look of comprehension came to Squirtle.

"_YOU! You're from the Squirtle Squad, aren't you?_" he asked.

"_No kiddin I'm from the Squirtle Squad, man! We were best buds, back in the day!"_

"_Yeah, man. I remember when you were on the team. Except...I don't really recall us being 'best buds.'"_ Squirtle turned his entire body to face the Wartortle with a wide stance. "_Come to think of it, I seem to remember you kicking your stupid butt _OUT _of the Squirtle Squad. Isn't that just the craziest thing?_" He laughed. All the Pokemon within earshot went silent, shocked at Squirtle's declaration. Half of them looked at Wartortle to see what he was going to do to the little Squirtle and the other half watched Squirtle to make sure they didn't miss it.

"_Yeah." _the Wartortle said, fists clenched. "_Yeah, you kicked me out, ya little half-pint." _The Pokemon knew the procedure. This is when the insults began. Once the victim switched to the offensive, then the show would begin.

"_Half-pint?_" said Squirtle, laughing. "_Me? Nah. I'm not that small. You just underestimate how much of a big boy you've grown into, man." _

"_Yeah._" it said, standing tall and puffing its chest out. "_I guess you're right. You still seem pretty small to me, though."_

"_Well, I guess you weren't really one of the brightest bulbs in the box."_

The crowd of Pokemon drew in breath at this new insult. They knew that this Squirtle was asking for it, but they didn't realize how brutal this was going to be.

"_Sorry, my ears ain't what they used ta be. Repeat that?"_

"_I said that you're a flaming idiot who couldn't find his hand's way out of a glove. Sure, you had muscle, but you never deserved to wear the shades._" said Squirtle. Ash noticed that Pikachu was starting to back away very slowly.

"_Look who's talking now, short-stuff! I'm more of a Pokemon now than you could ever be! You know it! You just won't admit it!"_

"_Yeah, okay._" Squirtle said, still laughing. "_We'll roll with that. Lemme guess...after you got dropped like a bag of rocks, you wandered off into the wilderness with nowhere left to go. Some trainer found you and you were so used to being _my_ lackey that you couldn't bear the thought of being alone! __So you train, and you fight, and you get all that angsty-aggression out until ding! One day, you up and evolve into the strapping young lad I see before me. I get the summary right?"_

"_You left out the part about me versus the Elite Four." _it said.

"_Wow. The Elite Four?"_

"_That's right. My master and I got all the way to the third trainer without breakin' a sweat."_

"_And..." _said Squirtle, "_I'm guessing that you guys bombed it on the fourth?" _The Wartortle hesitated, clenching its fists in fury. "_I guess that's a yes." _continued Squirtle.

"_It doesn't matter, shrimp. I'm still better than you ever were. I'm stronger. I'm more powerful. I know double the techniques you ever could. It wasn't _me_ that didn't deserve the shades, man. It was _you_! It's easy to see why such a worthless team had such a worthless leader."_

Squirtle shut his mouth in a grimace, clenched his fists together, and took a step forward.

"_One chance, idiot. Take back that crack at my Squad and I won't be forced to give it back."_

"_Was that a threat, pipsqueak?"_

"_No." _said Squirtle, glaring menacingly, "_That was a _promise_." _Pikachu had now backed up far enough to be out of any immediate danger of getting caught in the crossfire. He looked around frantically until his eyes stopped on Ash.

"_Come on! Do something!_" he pleaded. "_Squirtle talks a big game, but he's not as awesome as he thinks he is. He might get seriously hurt._"

"I know, but this looks personal. Should I get involved?" Ash asked both Pikachu and himself.

Pikachu raised his eyebrows incredulously.

"_It'll become even more personal once you have a dead Squirtle on your hands._" he said.

"Yeah, you're right." Ash said. He determinedly marched forward, spinning his cap around on his head.

"HEY!" he shouted. All the Pokemon, startled, whipped their head around to look at him. Save for Squirtle, who continued to stare down the Wartortle.

"_And who is this?"_ it asked Squirtle. "_Your 'master?'" _it looked at Ash up and down. "_Looks like a wimp to me." _Squirtle took another step forward. The Wartortle folded its arms and stood its ground.

"_Don't." _hissed Squirtle.

"Hey, back off!" Ash shouted at the Wartortle. "Don't force us to battle you."

"_Ash." _Squirtle whispered through clenched teeth while still glaring at Wartortle. "_Please back away. With all due respect, this does not concern you."_

"You're my friend, Squirtle. Of course this concerns me!"

Squirtle sighed. "_Thank you for that, but sometimes friends let their friends fight their own battles. Just let me handle this."_

"Fine. But if it gets too bad, Pikachu and I are finishing this."

"_If you do," _said Squirtle decisively, "_I'll never speak to either of you again."_

Ash had no choice but to back up beside Pikachu and helplessly watch what happened. Pikachu was shifting his weight back and forth and rubbing his hands nervously. The field remained dead silent save for the low thunder of the waterfall.

"_Looks like we got this place all to our sel-"_

"_Are you gonna keep babbling on and on or are we gonna tango, because I'm not leaving here without seeing some blood." _Squirtle threatened.

"_Eager, aintcha?"_

"_Always."_

"_You never deserved to be the leader." _the Wartortle said with an air of finality. It backed up a step and puffed out its chest.

"_HYDRO PUMP!"_ A monstrous jet of water rocketed out of the Pokemon's mouth. Squirtle, with speed surprising even Ash, simply sidestepped the attack. It hit the ground where Squirtle had been standing, tearing a hole in the dirt.

Squirtle darted behind the Wartortle. As it turned with a look of surprise, he kicked it as hard as he could in the side of its knee. The Wartortle shouted as it felt it dislocate and fell on its back. Squirtle backed up, ran at the fallen Pokemon, then vaulted into the air and onto its stomach. Even through the thick shell, the Wartortle's breath was knocked out. Squirtle left it wheezing on the ground and struggling to regain its stance as he calmly plodded over to the bank of the pond and picked up a sizable rock.

"_Ice...hrrkk...ICE BE-_" the Wartortle's attack was cut short as Squirtle smashed the rock against its teeth. It staggered and fell to its back, spitting out blood and a tooth. Squirtle clambered up on its chest and started to repeatedly slam the rock against its face. When he dropped the rock, he used his small fists. When the skin of his knuckles broke, he used his feet. He over and over again pummeled the Wartortle to the brink of death, knocking out teeth like they were icicles.

Finally, Squirtle's fury was tapped out. He stood triumphantly on the unconscious body of the Wartortle with bloody knuckles and a look that could kill.

He powerfully pumped his fists into the air.

"_HALF-PINTS!" _He shouted into the air. "_SHOW ME YOUR WEAPONS!_"

All the small, first-stage evolution Pokemon in the field pumped their various appendages in the air and cheered. The other Pokemon soon joined in, adding to the maelstrom of applause and excited shouting of various Pokemon voices. Ash and Pikachu could only share a look of shock.

Squirtle calmly reached behind his neck, pulled out his sunglasses, and put them on.

"_THAT...is why I'm the leader." _he said calmly as he stepped off the Wartortle's chest to wash his hands of blood.


	8. Chapter 8

"_Seriously." _Pikachu finally said. Ash's jaw simply hung open stupidly. "_Seriously. That...was..."_

"Awesome?"

"_Yeah..." _he agreed. They continued to stare dumbfounded and in silence. This silence was broken, however, by an exasperated sigh coming from behind Ash.

"_Of course. It always has to be Squirtle causing trouble, doesn't it?"_

Ash and Pikachu turned and their faces lit up.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted excitedly. The small, green creature looked bashfully back up at him, smiling despite his composed demeanor.

"_Hi, Ash_."

"_Bulbasaur!_" Pikachu shouted. He sprinted forward and playfully tackled him. They tumbled across the ground and into the side of a tree.

"_Every time, Pikachu? Do we have to do this every single time you come over?_" spluttered Bulbasaur.

"_It's a tradition, isn't it?" _said Pikachu playfully. "_It's like making Charizard mad and hiding Squirtle's sunglasses. It's just a thing that has to be done!"_

"_But, if you remember, _I _never participated in any of those things."_

"_Which is _why _I have to tackle you every time I come over! You wouldn't have any fun without me!"_

"_Fun is subjective. Now, please get off me._" Pikachu slid off Bulbasaur and let him right himself. He plodded back to Ash with his hands at his sides.

"_He's even more boring than you are._" Pikachu remarked.

"Hey Bulbasaur! Guess what!?" Ash excitedly said.

"_Uhm..." _He turned to Pikachu. "_What is he talking about?"_

"_Ash can understand Pokemon now!" _Pikachu exclaimed whilst doing a light tap-dance in excitement. Bulbasaur looked at Ash confusedly for a moment before turning back to Pikachu.

"_Okay, seriously. What do you want to tell me?"_

"Just that! I can read minds now!" Ash piped in. Bulbasaur looked from Pikachu to Ash and back and forth, waiting for the explanation that they were joking. It didn't come.

"_What, you're serious?" _he asked. "_How?"_

"We fought a Kadabra in the woods. He used Psychic on me. When I woke up, I could read minds."

"_We're not exactly sure of what happened exactly." _Pikachu said, ignoring his own redundancy.

"_So not only did you survive getting your brain essentially put through a hurricane, but you inexplicably got psychic powers as a result?_" Bulbasaur confirmed. "_Have you thought this through? Wondered why you got these powers in the first place? How? Why?"_

"Well..." Ash scratched the back of his head and turned away. "Not really...no."

"_In that case, my opinion would be to leave right now, go into the Professor's lab, and see if he has any machines that can check for brain hemorrhages or tumors." _Bulbasaur said calmly.

"But it's not like I can turn it on and off. I don't think it's anything bad. I haven't felt dizzy or seen any bright lights or anything like that."

_ "Look, Ash, we Pokemon are naturally more resistant to each other's attacks. When you've had to evolve for thousands of years with a billion other creatures with a billion other elemental abilities, it was necessary to develop at least a rudimentary defense for all of them. That's why Pokemon rarely kill each other during battles. You humans don't have these defenses. You caught the full force of an extremely powerful move that most other Pokemon would consider overkill _anyway_. The fact that you survived is a miracle. I wouldn't be testing Fate any further if I were in your position."_

"But all I want to do is get to know my Pokemon better! There's nothing I can do about it now, if there's a problem. And besides, wouldn't the exercise of being outside and walking around be good for me regardless?"

"_Fine..."_ Bulbasaur sighed. "_I'm just worrying about you, Ash. That's all. Sometimes you rush into things without thinking first. Anyway, now that we can finally communicate, I need your help with something."_

"Sure thing."

"_Well, there are those that would describe me as kind of the caretaker at the ranch. I solve problems when they arise." _He glanced at the unconscious Wartortle. "_Non-violently, of course. Right now, there's a situation that I'd be hard-pressed to resolve on my own. Just follow me." _Bulbasaur turned and plodded down the path into the woods.

"Wait!" Ash turned and cupped his hands to his mouth "SQUIRTLE!"

Squirtle was floating on his back in the pond, resting his hands and feet. He started when he heard Ash's voice and looked up.

"_YEAH!?"_

"I'M GOING TO HELP BULBASAUR IN THE WOODS WITH SOMETHING! I'LL BE BACK IN A LITTLE WHILE!"

"_GOTCHA!" _Squirtle lay back down on the water's surface and adjusted his sunglasses lazily. Ash turned and followed Bulbasaur into the woods.


	9. Chapter 9

After a short trek, they arrived at a large clearing. Bulbasaur walked ahead of Ash and looked straight up into the sky, judging the position of the sun.

"_If they're as punctual as they are stubborn, they should be here shortly."_

"Who?" Ash's question was answered for him by the rustling of the bushes in the clearing. On the left side of the field, a Ninetales gracefully emerged from the underbrush. On the right, an Arcanine crashed through the bushes. They stopped an equal distance to each other.

Bulbasaur walked back to Ash. "_These two are having some kind of turf war. They won't listen to reason and I very well can't do anything _physical_ to stop them. Maybe you can use your status to talk them out of burning down half the forest._"

"Wait, what do you mean by status?" Ash asked.

"_In the minds of most Pokemon, humans, Trainers especially, are considered to be alphas. The number of Pokemon that don't regard humans with any respect at all is in an extreme minority."_

"_Are you serious?" _Pikachu said. "_That's ridiculous. Most humans are spineless morons, if you ask me."_

"Excuse me?" Ash said

"_I said _most _humans."_

"Well, then thank y-"

"_I like Professor Oak, Brock, and Misty just fine." _said Pikachu. Ash turned back to see the Pokemon grinning impishly.

"_Would it be too much to ask to stay focused?"_ Bulbasaur asked impatiently.

"Sorry. So you just want me to talk them out of fighting?" Ash said.

"_If you can." _Bulbasaur said.

"Maybe I should have brought Squirtle after all..." Ash said to himself.

"_The guy beat a Pokemon double his size unconscious with his bare fists. He deserves some down time, if you ask me." _said Pikachu.

"Maybe you're right." Ash gulped. He wasn't much of a diplomat, but he was willing to try anything. "Here I go."

He slowly walked forward, as quietly and unassumingly as he could. He opened his mind to hear the thoughts of the arguing Pokemon, drowning out their unintelligible Poke-speak.

"_We don't have to go on like this day after day." _said the Arcanine. "_Just give me the land that is rightfully mine. I lead my pack with honor and with passion. I'll do the same with the Pokemon here. You need not worry."_

The Ninetales had sat on its haunches and calmly swayed its many tails back and forth to the wind. "_I need not worry?" _it said. The tone of its mental voice suggested it was female. "_Arcanine, you are a vicious dog. You lack the capacity for logic that all leaders must have. You lead your pack through fear and dominance alone. A good leader must establish themselves as in charge though their actions and their philosophies. Not through petty life threats."_

_ "I do no such things!" _Arcanine growled. Flame glowed from in between his teeth. "_My packmates are brothers to me! I'd give my life for them, as they would for me!_"

"_And yet you still are focused squarely on your emotions as your guiding light. That dynamic may work quite well for an uncivilized mob, but an entire community requires a much gentler and precise touch." _Ninetales responded coolly. Arcanine barked savagely and a ball of flame shot out of his mouth. It sizzled through the air and slammed into a tree a few feet from Ninetale's head. She didn't flinch.

"Stop!" Ash shouted. Arcanine, startled, turned to Ash and began to growl.

"_What do you want, human? You have no business interfering in our affairs." _he said.

"_For once, the oaf is right." _said Ninetales. "_Please leave us. This does not concern you."_

"What you're doing is affecting the lives of hundreds of Pokemon!" Ash said. "As a Trainer, that _makes _it my business."

"_What right have you to meddle in things you don't understand!?" _Arcanine growled and stomped the ground, flames licking his ivory teeth. Ash heard small, fast, and familiar footsteps approach from behind. Pikachu vaulted onto Ash's shoulder and sparked his cheeks.

"_I think you mean _our_ right." _he said with a smirk.

"If this escalates any further, you could be endangering all the lives in this forest. This isn't exactly the best place for Fire Pokemon to fight, you know!"

"_You irreverent fool! How DARE you assume yourself as in charge!" _Arcanine shouted furiously. Pikachu's grip on Ash's shoulder tightened. Ash himself simply glared.

_ "I'm interested, human." _Ninetales said, calmly. "_How is it that you can understand us?"_

"That's a long story. The point is, I was sent here to act as a mediator between you two because of my ability. I'll not have you destroy each other and other Pokemon over a petty land dispute.

_ "Watch your tongue, human!" _Arcanine growled. "_I've killed others for saying less than that!"_

"_Calm yourself, Arcanine. I'm intrigued, human. Very well. You will act as a judge for our debate." _Ninetales said. "_Do you agree to this proposition?"_

"I do."

"_And you, Arcanine? Do you agree to letting the human monitor?"_

Arcanine continued to growl angrily. The only thing worse than an uppity human, he told himself, was a particularly domineering Ninetales. "_Fine." _he finally said, seeing no way out. "_But if you are unfair in your decision, I'll tear you apart in an instant."_

_ "If you do that," _Ninetales said, "_I'll aide the Pikachu in killing you just as quickly."_

Arcanine angrily walked back to his spot across from Ninetales and sat down in a similar fashion.

"Alright." Ash said. "We'll begin. You both want this area of the forest for your own, correct?"

"_Yes." _they replied in unison.

"Okay then. Arcanine, tell me why you believe yourself to be best suited to controlling the area."

"_Because, human, being a leader requires more than cold logic. A leader must have the desire to lead overpowered only by their desire to lead well. I will treat the denizens of this forest like I treat the brothers of my pack: With honor and dignity, but with a swift and iron-clad fist as well. As a Trainer of Pokemon, you of all people should understand the joy of effective leadership and victory by your own guidance, rather than your own hand. This is a trait that she" _he turned to Ninetales "_very noticeably lacks. She is cold and empty inside. She does not understand what others want or need. She only understands what would be best for a group."_

Silently, Ash understood the comment about leadership, but he stored the thought away until later.

"Ninetales." He said. "Same question."

"_I am an effective leader because I do not concern myself with the petty wantings of the individual. Pokemon, as well as humans if I am correct, are fickle by nature. They want nothing more than what they think they want on any given moment. It takes one such as me, 'cold and empty inside' to divide these insignificant requests from those that are truly necessary. I am an effective leader because I focus on what is necessary for the community's continued survival, rather than its fleeting wants. Arcanine is too centralized on the emotions of those under his rule. They, despite his best wishes, will ultimately ask for more than he can give, as is their nature. They will revolt, as the masses are often want to do, and will ultimately result in Arcanine leading himself to his own downfall."_

"Thank you, Ninetales. And thank you, Arcanine." Ash said, as officially as he could.

"_Pansy." _said Pikachu. Ash ignored his joke this time.

"After hearing both your testimonies, it is obvious who should be leader. Both of you."

They both jumped at this verdict.

"_NEVER! I'll never side with such a clearly evil soul."_

"_Arcanine! Control yourself! Please elaborate, human. How did you come to this decision?"_

"Well, Arcanine believes you are a bad leader because you think too much about the logical aspect and not enough about the emotional. You believe Arcanine to be a bad leader because he focuses too much on the emotional and not the logical. Leading the forest on your own would ultimately result in both of your downfalls. Together, however, you complement each others faults and strengths, making one very effective leader. Now your only challenge is to get past your own petty differences for the good of the many that you both claim to care about so much.

The clearing was silent as everyone pondered Ash's words. Arcanine spoke first.

"_You are right, human." _he said. "_Separate, we are flawed, but together we are perfect. I agree to your verdict. You are much wiser than I expected you to be, human."_

_ "I agree as well." _said Ninetales. "_Thank you for helping us, human. You have shown us the errors of our ways." _She gracefully bowed to Ash and walked into the middle of the clearing. "_Come, Arcanine. We'll discuss our leadership strategy." _She walked off into the woods with Arcanine in tow.


	10. Chapter 10

"_Man...that was pretty badass." _said Pikachu.

"Thanks. Could you tell that I was nervous?"

"_Assuming I didn't already know you were a little wimp? Nah. No chance. Your secret is safe with me." _He hopped off of Ash's shoulder and walked back to the path they had taken. "_ I kinda wish there had been a fight, though..." _he thought, more to himself than to Ash.

Ash laughed as he walked forward.

"_Ash?" _said Bulbasaur in an uncharacteristically small voice. "_Please wait for a minute. I want to talk to you about something._"

"Okay. Sure." He turned. "Hey Pikachu! Go check on Squirtle! Bulbasaur and I are gonna have a talk!"

"_Can do!" _shouted Pikachu as he ran down the path and out of sight. Ash turned to Bulbasaur.

"So what's up?" he asked.

"_Well...I want to confess something. I didn't ask for your help because I needed it. In fact, that's one of the easier arguments to resolve around here."_

"Then...why did you ask for it?"

"_I...I wanted to see if you'd...I was scared that you had changed."_

"What do you mean?"

"_Ash, now that we can talk, I'd like to tell you something about myself that you probably didn't know." _Bulbasaur said. "_I'm actually a very spiritual Pokemon. You see the titular bulb that's always been on my back?"_

"Yeah."

"_Well, it really means a lot to me. I mean, besides the fact that it's been growing there since I was born. I've always regarded it as the...spiritual mark of the Earth Mother. I've always regarded myself, and other Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur, as disciples of her." _He turned and gazed thoughtfully at the sunny clearing. _"You see, I, and the others that listen to my sermon, believe that all living beings are connected to one another. We believe that everything from the grass under our feet to the most powerful of Pokemon are connected. Humans too. We also believe that we are connected, like spokes on a bicycle wheel, by the central spirit of the Earth, who we have deemed the Earth Mother. She controls all of nature and, by extension, influences all of our lives. All she asks for is simple respect for her creations from her children."_

Bulbasaur shifted awkwardly in place.

"_I'm sorry, but I don't open up like this a lot."_

"It's alright, Bulbasaur. I'm not one to judge."

"_Thank you..." _he said. "_Well...I've believed in the Earth Mother ever since I was born. I ended up being an orphan most of my life, but it was the only thing that I remember my mother telling me. When we first met, I wasn't really that used to humans, understandably. To Pokemon, being captured by a trainer from living in the wild is a little like puberty for most humans. It takes time to adjust to the changes, but we all usually agree that we're a lot better off with our Trainers than we were in the wild. _

_ "Growing up with you, I always used you as a frame of reference for what I though of humans. You were always so considerate and thoughtful about nature on your own. I thought that maybe you followed the Earth Mother too, at first, until I realized that you were just naturally like that. I mean, Brock, Misty, and Tracey were too, but you were always the one I looked up to the most._

_ "After a few years with you, I began to realize things about humans. Since you were my model human, I always just assumed that other humans were just as respectful to the Earth Mother as you were. I slowly learned that this was not the case. In fact, what I saw showed me that most humans actually don't care about nature's gifts in the slightest. They simply take, and take, and take, and take and never have second thoughts about giving back. I began to realize, basically, that the world was a very big place full of inconsiderate people._

_ "That's the main reason I stopped traveling with you and the others. I loved you all like family. Hell, you ARE my family. But even being around you all couldn't distract me from the blasphemy against the Earth Mother I was always seeing around me. I couldn't shake the constant feelings of disgust and sadness. I had to come back here and stay on the ranch. I may be simply avoiding my problems, but at least I can sleep at night here. And I can teach the other Pokemon about the Earth Mother. If they want to hear, of course."_

Bulbasaur turned back, his eyes welling up with tears.

_ "I guess what I'm trying...trying to say is...thank you, Ash. Thank you for being such a good person. Today, you showed me that you hadn't changed a single bit since we last saw each other and for showing me that...there's always hope in a world that seems too dark to be lit again."_

One of the tears quivering on his eyelid fell to the ground. He raised a foreleg to wipe his eyes off.

_ "I'm sorry...I don't usually get so emotional. I'm...just let me..."_

Before he could finish his sentence, Ash sat on the ground and pulled Bulbasaur over to him. Bulbasaur turned toward Ash to accept the hug.

"You're welcome, Bulbasaur." said Ash, shedding a few of his own tears. "Thank you for believing in me."

_ "You're welcome." _said Bulbasaur, sniffing. "_And thank you for being the best friend I've ever had, Ash."_


	11. Chapter 11

The two emerged from the cover of the trees to find Pikachu and Squirtle talking.

"_So...what did he DO!?" _Pikachu asked.

"_He basically refused to cooperate with the team dynamic. He was always really selfish when it came to heists. Like, we broke into an apartment building one night and he-"_

"_Wait wait wait...You WHAT!?"_

"_I'm telling you, the Squirtle Squad has been around a lot longer than you think. Anyway, be did a B&E on some woman's apartment one night. We weren't going to sack the place blind or anything. Just take enough to meet our weekly quota and little enough so that what was missing wouldn't be noticed for about a day or two." _Squirtle explained.

"_You're talking about this like it was a business."_

"_Hey, I wasn't exaggerating when I said I was good at this. Anyway, this woman lived like a _queen_. I told the Squad to take only the usual stuff. Tall, stupid and ugly back there took it too far. He vandalized half the apartment, broke open the safe in the bedroom, and stuffed everything he could find in there in his shell. He made so much noise, the neighbors called the cops. We cheesed it, sure, but it was too close. Our locksmith got caught twenty feet from the sewers. Last we saw of him, he was being sent off to some ranch and we never heard from him again. This wasn't the first problem that Squirtle caused. We all voted him out that night. Sure, he was our Bruiser, but we got along fine without him. He wasn't paying nearly what he was worth._"

"_How...how have I never heard of this before?" _Pikachu stammered.

"_Because you never asked." _Replied Squirtle, nonchalantly scratching his head. Pikachu continued to stare. Squirtle awkwardly shifted under his gaze and looked around for a way to change the subject.

"_Hey! Bulbasaur!" _he shouted, finding one. Ash and Bulbasaur walked forward to meet the two Pokemon.

"_Hey guys." _Pikachu said. He pointed to Squirtle. "_Hey, did you know that Squirtle is really, really hardcore?"_

"_More like troublemaker." _said Bulbasaur. "_Every Pokemon here is going to be in a frenzy about this for weeks. I've managed to keep fights like this suppressed for a while, but you've probably doubled my workload. It'll take a week before I can crack down on the nightly fight clubs that pop up when this kind of things happens."_

"_But..." _Squirtle scratched the back of his neck ashamedly. "_I don't understand. What did I do wrong?"_

"_Every once in a while, a Pokemon decides that another Pokemon needs to get his face smashed in. And as we all know, human or Pokemon, crowds love to watch a fight. If one actually breaks out, it inspires others to do the same, though thankfully, they're mostly sparring matches."_

"_Oh come on!" _Squirtle shouted. "_You can't demonize me like that! I know that Wartortle! He's a bastard! Can you honestly tell me that he was a model citizen around here!?"_

"_No. You're right. He is a bastard and I know how stupid he is. But there are other options than stomping on his face until his teeth come flying out!" _Bulbasaur said.

"_You don't understand. I kept that guy under my roof for-"_

"_Yeah yeah yeah, I get it. You know how he works and violence is the only language he understands. Well, Squirtle, who said you ever had to go to him directly? There's easier ways around these kinds of problems."_

"_Not all of us are as smart as you are, Bulbasaur." _Pikachu chimed in. "_And I think that, every once in a while, some Pokemon just need to get their asses beat."_

"_You're right." _said Bulbasaur. "_I agree with you. Some do. I'm not enough of a pseudo-intellectual to deny that. I'm just letting you guys know to NOT do that again. Not here."_

"_Alright, smarty-pants. I won't." _Squirtle stepped forward and started to scratch the top of Bulbasaur's head.

"_Stop it!" _Bulbasaur said. He shook Squirtle's hand off and backed away.

"_SNEAK ATTACK_!" Pikachu shouted as he tackled Bulbasaur again. Ash laughed as his Pokemon wrestled.

"_Wait! Wait! Everybody! STOP!" _Pikachu shouted, holding his arms out in front of him, palms facing up. "_We...we shouldn't be FIGHTING like this!" _He said in mock melodrama. "_We...NEED...to band together...to take down..." _he pointed at Ash. "_HIIIIMMM!"_

The Pokemon paused, then smiled devilishly. Squirtle cracked his knuckles. Pikachu sparked his cheeks. Bulbasaur took a step forward. Ash, without even thinking, made an about-face and took off to the middle of the field.

_"AAATTAAAAAAACK!" _Pikachu shouted. The Pokemon sped off after him. Bulbasaur wrapped his vines around Ash's feet and stopped in his tracks. Ash fell screaming to the ground and felt himself being reeled in like a fish. He clawed at the ground, trying desperately to get away. Squirtle ran up and started spraying water all over his head while Pikachu jumped on his back and started to pull at his backpack. Ash thrashed under the stream of water, but Pikachu held on tight. Amid the chaos, the backpack slipped off of Ash's shoulders.

"_I got it! I got it!" _Pikachu shouted. He ran off. Squirtle stopped his spray of water to follow him. Bulbasaur unwrapped his vines and left Ash lying in a puddle.

Squirtle and Bulbasaur ran up to Pikachu who was staring at the backpack.

"_What do we do with it?" _he asked. They paused, thinking of what to do next. "_Dump out his stuff and throw it AROUUUUUND!" _Pikachu finally shouted. He fumbled with the zipper before stopping suddenly, his long ears twitching. He, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur looked up at the sky. Pikachu smirked.

"_Look who decided to show up."_

"_And late as usual." _Squirtle added.

"_Oh no...You guys didn't..." _Bulbasaur said, tiredly. "_I thought I was bad off having _you two _over here."_

Then, Ash heard it. A low-pitched, happy roar that sounded from far away. He stood up, dripping, to see an enormous shadow pass over the sun. All the surrounding Pokemon other than Pikachu, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur snapped their heads up at the shadow in mind-numbing fear. They all turned around and sped off into the woods and to the waterfall.

Before he knew it, Charizard slammed down into the ground ten feet in front of him. He sat limply, letting his wings slowly relax. Charizard suddenly released a massive jet of flame a foot from Ash's head. The burning vortex singed the small hairs off the right side of his face and caused the skin on his entire body to flare up in alarm. Ash simply stood still and calm, letting the blaze pass. When it did, he chuckled to himself and smiled.

"Hi, Charizard."

Charizard nodded in his direction, blowing smoke from his nostrils in approval.

"_CHARIZAAAAAARD!" _Pikachu shouted. Ash saw him running as fast as he could toward the orange dragon towering over the other Pokemon out of the corner of his eye. Pikachu pounced on Charizard and started to repeatedly punch his right leg. Of course, it was as futile as punching a tree trunk, so Charizard simply waited patiently for him to finish. When he did, Charizard picked up Pikachu by the nape of his neck and held him to his face.

"_I'll cook you alive and pick the meat from your bones." _Charizard said in a deep, rumbling tone. Ash jumped at this, wondering if Pikachu was in danger. He wondered briefly if Liza had sent the wrong Charizard, but this was quickly discarded. He was a good enough Trainer to recognize his own Pokemon.

"_You use that one every time! It always goes back to the eating thing!" _said Pikachu, confusing Ash.

"_But I _like _the eating thing. It's a perfect mix between unrealistically morbid and true-to-life fact." _This time, Charizard's tone wasn't as rumbling, but it was still just as deep.

"_I know, but you've got to mix it up some. Like...what will you do with my bones after you pick the meat off of them?"_

"_I'll...hmm..." _Charizard thought for a moment. "_I'll..."_

"_Go on..."_

"_I'll..." _he suddenly snapped his fingers. "_I'll use your bones to bludgeon your mate and children to death!" _His voice had become menacing and evil again.

"_Good!" _said Pikachu excitedly "_That was a good one!"_

"_Okay." _Charizard said. "_What will you do to me?"_

"_I'll let you eat me whole, then use Thunder to punch a hole through your stomach."_

"_I really _could _eat you, you know. Any time."_

"_Yes, yes, yes..." _Pikachu said in a mocking tone. "_We're all _so_ impressed by how big and strong and tough you are and how you've grown into such a big boy."_ He reached over to pinch Charizard's cheek, who promptly dropped him.

"What..." Ash stammered, equally confused as he was afraid. "What was all that?"

"_That's our running joke." _Pikachu said while lying on the ground. "_We always talk about the horrific ways that we're going to kill the other. See this?" _Pikachu raised his hand in a thumbs-up sign. "_This doesn't mean 'Good luck' or 'Good job.' It means 'this is the finger I'll use to pop out your eyeball.'" _He sat up. "_But not in every usage, of course."_

"That's...I don't know how to feel about that."

"_Sometimes, Ash," _Pikachu said, wisely and without any hint of sarcasm, "_you don't have to feel. Let things be the way they are. Weird, stupid, irritating and absurd as they may be. Just Let it be...by The Beatles."_

Charizard was looking suspiciously from Pikachu to Ash.

"_How are you two doing that?" _he asked Pikachu. "_Did you plan something before I got here?_"

"_No. Ash can really understand Pokemon now." _He paused. "_And if he still couldn't, how would we have been able to plan something to begin with?"_

"_Oh. I..uh..don't know." _Charizard said. He turned to Ash. "_How is that possible?"_

"I have telepathy. I got it as a side effect from getting attacked by a Kadabra."

"_Telepathy?"_

"I can read minds."

_"OH. Okay. Sorry. I didn't know what telepathy was." _Charizard said, bashfully.

"_Seriously?" _shouted Squirtle from across the field. "We _all knew what it was from the get-go! Get on the ball, man!"_

"_Hey! Give me a break! I've been in fighting other Charizard in the mountains for three months!" _Charizard shouted back, raising his head over Ash's. "_What have you been doing, anyway?"_

"_Me and my Squirtle Squad have been firefighters in Vermillion City!"_

"_Oh yeah, that's right! Listen, you try any of that shit on me and I'll stomp you flat!"_

"_Sure thing, smokey! But be sure to ask about what happened to the last guy who said that!" _Squirtle said.

"_By the way!" _Pikachu shouted. "_If you live in Vermillion City, doesn't that make you a...Vermin or something like that?" _At this, Charizard shot out a jet of flame from his nostrils, trying to suppress laughter.

"_Y'know, I'd get mad at you if that didn't sound like a cool band name!" _said Squirtle. He fell into deeper thought about the matter, turning away from Pikachu to think.

Charizard turned back to Ash.

"_So anyway...you can read minds now? Of everyone or just Pokemon?"_

"Basically everyone."

"_That could come really useful in a battle."_ Charizard said.

"It would, but that would also be cheating. I couldn't live with myself if I did that." Ash said. Charizard huffed at this.

"_Sure, if you looked at it _that way_." _he said, rolling his eyes. "_So if you're not going to do the obvious, what _are _you going to do with your new superpower?"_

"For now, I'm getting to know Pokemon a little better. _My _Pokemon, specifically." Ash said.

"_Is that it? You can't think of any better use to put it toward than family bonding time?" _said Charizard incredulously.

"Hey, I don't know if my power is gonna go away or not!" Ash defensively shouted. "If it does, it'll help in battles if I know more or less what my Pokemon are feeling and their personalities."

Charizard huffed again. "_Well...I guess that makes a little more since. Still feels like a waste to me, though."_

"_WAIT!_" shouted Pikachu suddenly. "_I have a thing!"_

"A what?"

"_I have a brain-thing! An idea! A thought!"_

"_Oh GOD..."_ Charizard said, rubbing his forehead. "_What is it _THIS TIME?"

"_Okay...Bear with me on this. What if we, as in this entire group right here, are actually aspects of the personality of some super-powerful being on some outside level of existence?" _Pikachu rambled. "_Like, Charizard! You're this being's representation of...of...I don't know. But Bulbasaur is the representation of the being's logic and reason. Squirtle is confidence, and I'm fun!" _He pointed at Ash. "_And you're the avatar of this supreme being! That's why you don't talk much!"_

"I do so talk! You just talk so much that I can't ever get a word in edgewise! Besides, what does any of that have to do with anything?" Ash said.

"_I dunno." _Pikachu said. "_Just a thought."_

"_In that case, maybe you should stop doing that." _Charizard said.

"_Talking or thinking?"_

"_Both." _Charizard said as Squirtle walked up from behind.

"_What's up, Vermin?" _he said. "_You guys look like you're having more fun over here. I'm gonna join in."_

"_Don't call us that! We're Team Shockwave, remember?" _Pikachu shouted.

"_That's our Pokemon team name. Vermin is our band name, remember?" _Squirtle said. "_And by the way," _he said to everyone "_I get credits for the name when we go platinum."_

"_Yeah, yeah. Whatever." _Pikachu said, buffing his fingers on his chest. "_We _all _know who the frontman of this rock band is."_

"_That's cool. Just make sure you know who everyone's looking at once we start playing Eruption." _said Squirtle.

"_Okay, so you're lead guitar and I'm singer slash frontman." _Pikachu said. He pointed at Charizard. "_You're our drummer."_

"_Hell yeah." _Charizard said. "_Just make sure they can take the punishment."_

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get it. You're strong. Blah, blah, blah." _Pikachu scoffed with a wave of his hand. He then pointed to Bulbasaur, who was walking up to the group.

"_And Bulbasaur! You can be bass."_

"_Wait. I'm not following." _Bulbasaur said, confusedly. "_What are we doing?"_

"_We're making a band." _Pikachu said.

"_Oh, alright. What does bass do?"_

"_You see," _Squirtle explained, " _the bass serves a key role in the band. His instrument serves to keep the beat of the song and..to accentuate..the-PFFT!_" Squirtle burst into laughter. "_I'm sorry, man! I couldn't keep a straight face! The bass player stands in the back and makes everyone else sound better."_

"_Okay." _Bulbasaur said. "_So I stay behind the scenes and make sure that you all don't make total asses of yourselves? Yeah. I'm pretty sure I can manage that." _This started a shared laugh throughout the entire group.

"_So that's settled. I'm vocals, Squirtle's guitar, Charizard is drums, and Bulbasaur is bass." _Pikachu looked at Ash. "_You can be team manager slash...keyboard. You get ten percent of the profit that you immediately have to spend getting us out of jail after we totally demolish the hotel room."_

"_FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK!_" Squirtle shouted. He shoved Pikachu on the ground as hard as he could and pumped his hands in the air, his fingers curled around metal horns. "_WE SALUTE YOU!_" Pikachu raised himself up, then charged Squirtle. They started to roughly shove each other and wrestle on the ground, gravitating back toward the trees.


	12. Chapter 12

"So..." Ash said. "_That_ happened..." He turned to Charizard. "So how has your training been going?"

"_Eh...Not so great. I'm definitely getting stronger, but I'm getting the snot beat out of me three times a day. I'm putting up a fight, but you know how it is." _He shrugged. "_I've still got a long way to go._" Charizard lowered his eyebrows. "_But I know you didn't call me all the way over here to make small-talk, Ash. Don't BS me. What is it that you really want?"_

"I called you because I wanted you two answer a question that's been bugging me for the past three years." Ash said, seriously. "Why didn't you listen to me after you evolved into Charmeleon? You were one of the best Pokemon I ever had up until that point, but when you evolved you wouldn't have anything to do with me. I mean, it's kept me up at night wondering whether it was me or you or...whatever. All I want to know is why?"

Charizard sighed and looked away, examining his feelings to see what he should do next. He looked back at Ash.

"_Alright. Before I say anything, I want you to know something. I don't open up like this. EVER. Not even to Charla. The only reason I'm doing it now is because I owe it to you after treating you like dirt for so long, Ash." _He turned to Bulbasaur. "_No offense, green thumb, but you need to get out of here for now."_

"No, that's okay. You can just think, Charizard, and I'll hear it. You don't have to say anything out loud."

"_That's okay, Ash." _Bulbasaur said. "_I understand when someone needs a private moment. I'll just be over here." _He turned and started to walk toward Squirtle and Pikachu, who were still fighting.

_"Hey! Tell the other two not to come over here either!" _Charizard added.

"_Roger!" _said Bulbasaur without turning around. Ash turned back to Charizard.

"Alright." He said. "You've got me alone. The guys aren't going to butt in and every other Pokemon in a thirty-foot radius is too scared of you to come any closer. We're alone. Now, tell me. Why were you such a jerk to me?"

Charizard sighed again. He looked down, working up the courage to say something. He shuffled his wings nervously and twitched his tail back and forth.

"_It's because...when I evolved into Charmeleon, I was always so...I...I was..." _He shifted his weight and started tapping his fingers together. "_Scared." _he finally said in a small, pathetic voice.

"Scared? Of what? Of me?"

"_No, no. Not...not REALLY." _Charizard breathed in deep to calm himself down. "_I was the first of your Pokemon to evolve. Well...okay, not the first in all, but the first and only of the other guys."_ He waved his arm over at the other Pokemon, who had finally stopped wrestling and were lying, panting, on the ground.

"_Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle were and still are some of my best friends in the world. I was scared that evolving would put us at odds, y'know? These guys are my best friends and I thought I was gonna lose them because of _you." He poked Ash sharply in the chest. "_I blamed you for what had happened to me. I mean...I wanted to get stronger, yeah, but I didn't want to so badly that my friends wouldn't accept me anymore. I was alone for so long as a Charmander that I wasn't about to lose the only companionship I had. The only things that made me feel alive. Y'know when you found me? Out in the rain when I almost died?"_

"Yeah?"

"_I was...." _Charizard nonchalantly scratched his eye, trying to hide the tear as best he could. "_I was trying to kill myself. I didn't want to be alone anymore. There weren't any other Pokemon around that I could relate to. Most of the Pokemon around there were bug and grass, so they were all scared of me. I lit forest fires when I wasn't paying attention, I burned down some old couple's tool shed, and I once...I accidentally killed a Caterpie. I tried to save it, but there was a thunderstorm and I couldn't go too far out from under the trees. I felt so guilty afterwords. I didn't think there was any use for me in the world aside from destruction and death. The next time it rained, I sat out on the road and waited for my flame to go out, praying for forgiveness to...whoever would listen._

_ "Before my tail went out, I chickened out. I couldn't do it. I scrambled back to the trees, but I was too weak to get more than a few feet. I grabbed the nearest plant that I could to try and shield it from the rain. I thought that was it for me. A destructive existence going out with a whimper, not a bang._

_ "That's when you came along. Part of me wanted to thank you and part of you wanted to strangle you for taking control out of my hands. I was too weak to do either of them. I didn't know anything about humans or Pokemon trainers at the time, so I never considered joining up with one an option. As soon as I was better, Pikachu was nicer to me than anyone I had ever known. I was surprised that I was being treated like an equal and not as a roaming, burning menace._

_ "Then there was Bulbasaur, who REALLY caught me off guard. Here's a grass Pokemon, the same kind of Pokemon that avoided me like the plague and sprinted off screaming into the bushes whenever I came close, treating me not only like an equal, but like a friend. Like he's known me for his whole life. With the addition of Squirtle, a Pokemon who's entire purpose in life consists of fighting things like _ me_, acting as if I was his own brother. I eventually warmed up to them and kind of latched on. I was almost as grateful to them for being my friends than I was to you for saving my life. Then, you made me battle...Well...no, 'made' isn't the right word. I don't mean that you forced me to do anything I didn't want to, but I didn't really have much of a choice. I was never really that violent before. But battling made me see that I had a purpose. That maybe I was more than a liability to the world around me. It also didn't hurt that I could unleash that fire on Pokemon that could actually take the heat. No more accidental deaths._

_ "When I evolved, I didn't really comprehend what had happened. I was stronger, bigger, and better. And no one else was. I understand that things change, but the last thing I wanted was for _me _to be the one to do the changing. I found myself alienated again, this time from my friends."_

"But...why did you think we'd just abandon you?" Ash asked. "You know these guys would never do anything like that? Did you really think people and Pokemon were that cruel?"

"_I didn't have any frame of reference other than my life in the wild, where I was different and hated for it. Now, I was the odd one out again. The only way I could cope with everything was battling It was the only thing I had that I could use to distract myself from my fears and anger. When there was something in front of me that was my enemy, I didn't want to beat them. I wanted to burn them. I always imagined my opponent burning alive before my eyes before every battle. I hated those other Pokemon. I hated them for being accepted and happy and feeling like they knew their places in the world. I hated them and wanted them to give some of my anger to them. I didn't realize until later that the one I really wanted to burn was you. The person that made me an outcast again._

_ "I always saw you as some kind of lumbering giant, figuratively speaking. Someone that caused so much pain and damage and didn't realize or care and I hated you for it. I didn't listen to you in battles because I was too blinded by my own rage to care what you were saying._

_ "When I evolved into Charizard, I didn't even care anymore. I didn't know much about evolution, but I knew that there was no going back to the way things were. Not only did I think of you as some kind of vague aggressor, but also as completely incompetent. You didn't know what you were doing and I got more satisfaction out of pummeling my opponent in my own way than your way. I still hated you as much as I always did, but it was more of a slow, simmering burn than the fiery blast that it was before._

_ "I was still scared that the other Pokemon hated me, but I didn't realize at the time that I was doing it to myself. I basically thought that I had lost everything that made me happy and I just didn't care anymore. That...that wasn't the case for long._

_ "Remember when we were on the Orange Islands? When we fought that guy with the Poliwrath and I almost died again?_"

"Yeah."

"_Do you remember what you did?"_

"Yeah. You got frozen in a block of ice and Misty, Tracey, and I stayed up all night making sure you didn't freeze to death."

"_No. That's not how it happened. Misty and Tracey didn't stay up all night helping me. _You did_." _Charizard said. "_At about five o' clock in the morning, you passed out. I woke up and saw that you had saved my life again. I realized then that maybe I had alienated the other Pokemon by acting the way I did. Tracey, Brock, and Misty were scared of me because of how much of a loose cannon I was. Everything had come full circle, but this time I was used to it and didn't care. The only difference...was...well, YOU._

_ "You stayed up all night to help me get stronger. To get better. You cared about me like I thought no one did, even after I had become bitter and selfish. I realized that you didn't care about my destructiveness. You didn't care about the burning of my fire. You cared about the life in that fire. I had thought that it was my purpose in life to destroy and decimate everything in my path, like the roaming forest-fire the other Pokemon thought I was in my youth. You helped me realize that my purpose isn't death, it's life! Fire can destroy, but it has a duel nature. Fire also is life incarnate! It's living energy! Without fire, there would be no energy and without energy, there would be no life!" _Charizard began to cheer up. He stood up proudly and raised his wings. "_My purpose in life is to be the kind of fire that preserves existence! My purpose is to be the personification of life itself! That's why I stayed at the Charicific Valley! I wanted to get stronger to show both myself and the world that life is something you can make! That fire is not destruction but passion! And it is BEAUTIFUL!" _Charizard tilted his head and roared as loud as he could, launching another jet of flame into the air. It lit the entire field in a blinding brilliance of light, even on a sunny day of cloudless sky. Charizard stopped the flame and watched it dissipate into the air, weeping at the glory he had made.

He walked back over to Ash. "_Ash....I have you to thank for giving me a new purpose in life. You showed me that the world is a place where fire can easily evaporate the rain that occasionally falls." _He snatched Ash off his feet and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"You're...hrrk...welcome...Char...i...zard." He patted his happily crying Pokemon on the back.

"_You're my best friend." _Charizard said. "_You're all my best friends."_ He squeezed even harder.

"You're my best friend too, Charizard!" Ash spat. "But I won't be for long if you strangle me to death!"

"_I don't care." _Charizard said, still hugging. "_I...don't care."_

After what felt like hours, he dropped Ash. Ash fell to his feet, staggered backwards, and collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.

"_By the way," _Charizard said, "_I know how much you like to ride on my back when I fly, so I'm gonna give you that option any time. Just make sure there aren't that many other Pokemon around. Especially Squirtle. He'd never let me live that down."_

"Okay...Charizard...." Ash croaked. "I'll take you.....up on that....when I'm …..not coughing up a lung....."


	13. Chapter 13

Ash opened his eyes ten minutes later to the sight of Pikachu standing over him.

"_You okay?" _he asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"_Need me to shock you? Restart your heart?"_

"No, that's fine."

Pikachu's cheeks sparked.

"_I'm gonna do it anyway."_

Ash scrambled quickly to his feet. He looked around. Charizard had left him recovering on the ground and was conversing with Squirtle and Bulbasaur. He watched the discussion heat up between Squirtle and Charizard. Once it reached its climax, Charizard promptly picked up the little turtle by the back of his shell and threw him like a rock into the bushes, nonchalantly continuing the conversation with Bulbasaur.

"Hey guys." Ash said, walking toward them.

"_Hey Ash. Hey man, sorry about the hug-thing. We were having a moment and I guess I just underestimated my own str-"_ Charizard was interrupted by Squirtle crashing violently though the underbrush. He charged Charizard, who dropped into a ready stance with his right foot bracing his left in response. Squirtle stopped before slamming into him and dropped into his own stance. They stared each other down, Squirtle making little hops in place while Charizard simply stood still, waiting for the other to make a move first. Eventually, Squirtle charged. He tried to tackle Charizard in the stomach, but Charizard stepped to the side and let the attack pass. Squirtle rolled over the ground without slowing down, coming to a stop on his feet facing the other way. He sprinted off with Charizard in hot pursuit.

"Does this happen a lot?" Ash asked.

"_You have NO IDEA..." _Bulbasaur said exasperatedly. Ash sensed Pikachu moving near his leg. He looked down and saw his Pokemon staring at the fight in the middle of the field. Without reading his mind, Ash anticipated what would happen. He quickly stooped down and grabbed Pikachu by the tail just as he had started to run off and join them. Pikachu tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground, struggling and kicking in futility before eventually going limp in disappointment that suddenly transitioned into a sudden lack of interest. He stood and brushed himself off.

"_Sorry."_ he said. They stood in comfortable silence, watching Squirtle and Charizard wrestle. Ash took note that Squirtle was actually doing considerably well considering the size difference. He mostly used his thick shell to block the sharp jabs from Charizard's claws and used his size and speed to his advantage. This eventually amounted to nothing when Charizard, timing it just right, managed to connect a kick and punted Squirtle like a football twenty feet across the ground. Pikachu, without missing a beat, raised both his arms in the air. "_It's good!"_ he shouted.

"Hey! Squirtle! Charizard! Cut that out and come over here!" Ash shouted. Charizard lumbered over, meeting Squirtle halfway as he was getting up off the ground. He defiantly shot a jet of water inches from Charizard's face. Charizard stopped and pointed menacingly in Squirtle's face, glaring seriously. Squirtle stared right back, a smug grin on his face.

"_Sorry about that." _Charizard said. "_Got caught up in teaching a lesson."_

"_In what?" _Squirtle responded. "_How you almost got your ass handed to you by a first-evolution turtle?"_

"_If Ash hadn't called it off, I would have stomped you into the dirt and played kickball with you head."_

"_Okay! We get it!" _Pikachu shouted. "_'Ohh! Look at me! I'm the big, third tier fire dragon!' We don't care how well you could crush our heads in between your elbows! We don't care about how you evolved into the big-ass mofo we see now! We! Don't! Care!" _He paused. "_And Blastoise is cooler, anyway."_

"_Hey!"_ Charizard shouted, pointing at Pikachu. Despite how angry he looked, Ash could tell how much Charizard was moved by what Pikachu had said. "_You take that back, you yellow little spaz!"_

"_Actually," _Squirtle said, "_I'm gonna have to go with Charizard on this one. Blastoise sucks. I'd be four times as big as I am now and have almost half the movement capabilities thanks to that giant shell."_

"_But...but..." _Pikachu stammered, shocked. "_But you'd have GUNS ON YOUR BACK! GUNS!"_

"_I don't care about that. The day I need to use a gun is the day I give up on myself." _Squirtle said. He took out his sunglasses and flipped them onto his face. "_So basically, never."_

"Actually, that's something I've been wondering. Why haven't you guys wanted to evolve? Charizard, you already told me, but what about the rest of you?" Ash asked.

"_Well, _my _reason is because being a Squirtle offers more advantages than most Pokemon think. I'm smaller, meaning I've got more movement options than I would if I were a Wartortle or a Blastoise. Also, I tend to get underestimated, which adds an element of surprise when my fist decides it would like to meet their jaw." _Squirtle explained.

"_Well," _Bulbasaur said, "_to me, being close to the Earth Mother should be a constant goal of all living beings. I stay a lower evolution because this is the way I was born. It preserves physical purity and helps me be more in tune with her. Plus, I don't really care that much about fighting."_

Ash looked at Pikachu, who was surprisingly silent. He looked up, meeting Ash's gaze.

"_I know what you're thinking, but I'm not gonna mess around about a man's religion. I'm not that much of a jerk."_

"Okay. What about you? You rejected that Thunderstone a while back. Why?"

"That_ was different. That wasn't necessarily that I don't want to evolve. I just don't want to evolve when someone tells me or forces me to."_

"So are you opposed to evolving in general?"

"_Not...really, but it's not really something I see as a priority. I don't have any problems as a Pikachu, right now anyway. Plus, I don't want to fix what's not broken._" He said, without a hint of sarcasm.

"I guess that makes sense..." Ash said. "I have another question. Does it ever feel...I don't know...strange when you have to call yourself or some other Pokemon a different name when they evolve? Like, was it weird going from being called Charmander to Charmeleon?"

"_It was...a little off-putting, but nothing that devastating." _Charizard said.

"_Ash, Pokemon don't interact in the same way as humans." _Pikachu explained. "_We mostly interact by reading what we think the others' intentions are. Pokemon in general pay a _lot _more attention to body language and voice tone."_

"_We've also got a lot more levels of understanding in those areas than humans do." _Bulbasaur added.

"So _that's _why you can say the same words over and over but understand that they mean different things!" Ash shouted excitedly.

"_Basically. That's why we're never bothered by the name thing. We don't know or recognize each other through names or titles. We're so in depth about reading body language and tone that we can immediately pick up personalities at a glance." _Pikachu continued. "_Like, when I look at Squirtle, I don't see him as 'Squirtle.' There are thousands of Squirtles that all look basically the same. I see his hundreds of layers of body language that show me that this particular Squirtle is the one who I've spent my entire life with. Kind of like a mental stamp."_

"That explains so much!" Ash said.

"_Yeah."_ Pikachu said. "_Now I realize how confusing that must have been for you guys."_

"That reminds me." Ash turned to Squirtle. "Speaking of intentions, this is what I've been asking everyone today." Ash turned red a little. "Squirtle...what...do you think of me?"

"_What do I think of you?" _Squirtle repeated. He sighed. "_That's kind of a long story."_

"That's fine. Do you...want to talk in private or something?"

"_Nah." _Squirtle said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "_It's nothing major. Nothing these guys don't already know. I'm not afraid to show my feelings."_

_ "Dwwwaaaaawww!" _Pikachu said. He walked over to Squirtle and started to pinch his cheeks. "_You wanna talk about your FEELINGS! Do you love us!? I love you too!" _He then gave Squirtle a hug. Knowing it was futile to keep resisting, he just waited for Pikachu to finish.

"_I'm not afraid to show my feelings, but it does get annoying when I do it around this guy." _He pointed to Pikachu, who was still hugging him. Squirtle wriggled his foot onto Pikachu's chest and kicked him off. Pikachu was sent rolling across the ground while Squirtle brushed himself off.

"_Okay. As you know, I'm the leader of the Squirtle Squad. That kind of thing takes a lot more leadership skills than most would think. There's a lot of psychology involved. You've got to get into the head of your teammates. You have to sleep together, eat together, fight together and get caught together. I'm very fond of my Squadmates. They're my brothers. I've grown up with them as much as I've grown up with these guys here." _He gestured to the other Pokemon. "_So, leadership is always a quality that I look at._

_ "I live in the city, so I see a LOT of Pokemon Trainers. Most of them are carbon-copies of each other. 'I'm gonna be the Pokemon MASTER! I'm gonna do it!' They all think their these tough-as-nails, undeniable Gods in human clothing when they're really wet-behind-the-ears ametures that likely won't ever be as good as they think they will be._

_ "The thing I like about you, Ash, is that you're different. When we met, I thought you were a wet-behind-the-ears ameture that didn't know what kind of world he was getting into. Y'know what I learned? That you _were_ a wet-behind-the-ears ameture, but you're the only Trainer I saw pass though that had any potential. To be honest, you impressed me, and anyone who knows me knows I'm not an easy Pokemon to impress. I saw how much potential you had. I wanted to go with you. Not because I wanted to help you. You didn't need me. You could have just as easily have helped yourself. I wanted to see how far you would go. I wanted to see if you could live up to any of the greatness I saw the possibility for."_

_ "_W-WOW." Ash said, shocked by the complement. From what he knew of the Pokemon (and he knew a great deal), he knew that a complement like that only comes once in a lifetime. "Thanks! So...did I live up to your expectations?"

Squirtle paused, then sighed. "_No." _He said. He paused again, then beamed. "_But you're getting well on your way. Here." _Squirtle walked over to Ash. "_You know me just as well as all the other guys now, so you know how big a deal this is." _Squirtle took off his sunglasses and handed them to Ash. "_You may not have reached your full potential yet, but you're gonna need these when you do." _Squirtle then held out his hand. "_There. I think, today, you've gotten to know me pretty well." _Ash beamed and took Squirtle's hand and shook it.

Squirtle suddenly took hold of Ash's finger and twisted his arm up to his shoulder. He jumped over and around Ash and onto the back of his knee. He dropped to his knees as Squirtle let go of his arm, vaulted to the back of his head, and sent Ash's face crashing into ground. The other Pokemon could only stare in shock.

"_Sorry, man." _Squirtle said as he jumped off Ash's back. "_That's initiation for ya."_

Ash stood up with his nose bleeding profusely. He started to laugh. He laughed harder than he did all day long. He fell onto his back, clutching his sides and laughing hysterically.

"_Welcome to the Squirtle Squad." _Squirtle said, grinning.


	14. Chapter 14

Ash sat up, aching. Today, he had been hugged by an enormous dragon so hard his eyes nearly shot out of his head, was tag-teamed by a plant lizard and a 10,000 volt mouse all while being doused by a blue turtle with a Napoleon complex and fists to back it up, had been slammed into the dirt by said turtle as a sign of friendship, and had been mind-violated by a spoon-wielding psychic to the point of gaining super-powers. Despite a creeping knowledge of how painful tomorrow morning was going to be, Ash came to the conclusion that this was one of the best days of his entire life.

"_You look like crap." _Pikachu said, bluntly. He had proven today that he could read Ash's mind almost as well as Ash could read his.

"Ha ha ha. You're hilarious."

"_Hey," _Pikachu said, his cheeks sparking again, "_I still say you're overdue for a good shock."_

"Do it, and I'll stuff you in a Pokeball myself." said Ash who groaned as he stood, back cracking loudly.

"_DON'T joke about that!" _Pikachu shouted, angrily. "_I'll let that one slide for now, but in the future, DO NOT JOKE ABOUT THAT KIND OF SHIT."_

"_He's right, for once." _Squirtle said. "_I made a joke about it one time. I....I never did again after that._"

"What did he do?" Ash asked. Squirtle looked over his left shoulder, turned his back to Ash and pointed to a chipped spot in the middle of his shell, as if a chunk had been torn out.

"That_." _Squirtle said.

"Wow, what's the deal with that, Pikachu? What's your thing with Pok-" Pikachu's cheeks sparked and he took a step forward. "With...those things?"

"That_, Ash, is a story for another day." _Pikachu said, turning away.

"Aww...I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Pikachu." Ash said, squatting. "I didn't realize how many nuances there were to your extremely complex character."

"_What can I say? I'm a complex kind of Pokemon. I've got deep-seated guilt and hangups and all that noise." _

Ash laughed and touseled the hair on Pikachu's head, then stood up. His Pokemon turned around and stared incredulously at the hand he used to pet him with. Pikachu pointed at it.

"_I...I wouldn't touch anything with that hand for a while if I were you." _He said nervously.

"...Why?"

"_Well, with a combination of my adrenaline being spiked off the damn charts from that _hilarious_ little threat you made about the Pokeball and you rubbing my fur in the way you did, I'd estimate that you're carrying about 5,000 volts of electricity in your right hand." _Pikachu said, nonchalantly.

"Wh-SERIOUSLY?" Ash stared at his hand and realized that it was tingling.

"_Yep. Watch this." _Pikachu went over to Ash's left, near the hanging zipper of his jacket. He rubbed his tiny hands on his chest, then touched the zipper. A flash of light blinded every living thing within ten feet and was followed by a deafening crack of sparking electricity.

"Wh-What do I do!?" Ash panicked.

"_I'll douse it for you." _Squirtle said.

"**NO!**" Ash and Pikachu shouted in unison.

"_Jeeze...It was a _joke_!" _Squirtle defended.

"_Here. Take my hand." _Pikachu held out his paw.

"No way! You're just gonna shock me!"

"_You're gonna get shocked if you _don't_. Now grab my damn hand." _Pikachu said, firmly. Ash hesitated, then clutched his hand. All the hair on Pikachu's body suddenly stood on end, then fell back to normal.

"_There." _he said, letting go of Ash's hand. "_Now the circuit," _he tapped his foot on the ground "_has been grounded._"

"Wow...that was close. Sorry, I guess I must be more socially awkward than I thought." Ash said, embarrassed.

"_You're not awkward, just stupid." _Squirtle said. "_There's no social cage you can trap yourself in that couldn't have been avoided by some common sense."_

"_OH yes," _Bulbasaur piped up, words dripping in sarcasm, "_let's all listen while _Squirtle_ tells us about common sense. Tell me, do you lose your temper and go into a blind, violent rage _before, _ or _after _you've decided that they have too many teeth in someone's head?" _Ash, Charizard, and Pikachu laughed.

"_I never go into a blind rage! Maybe I go into an ass-kicking frenzy of overblown proportions, but it's never _blind_."_

_ "Besides, isn't the violent stuff more _my _MO?" _Charizard said.

"_I always thought that yours was getting your head kicked in by a _girl_." _Pikachu mocked.

"_Say what you want, but I'm not ashamed to admit that Charla could tear me in half any time she wanted." _

"_I heard that she nearly _did_ the first time you met._" Bulbasaur said.

"_YEAH! That was hilarious!" _Pikachu said, bursting into laughter. "_You should have seen it! It w-was right after he tried a sneak attack on one of the Charizards there and he-he-" _Pikachu was doubled over with laughter. "_It kicked him in the stomach and knocked him flat on his tail!" _Pikachu fell over in giggles while everyone else laughed.

"_Okay...You can cut that out now..." _Charizard said timidly.

"_And-And right after that, he wanted to fight Charla. So she grabbed him by the arm and threw him down a flight of steps and into the ocean!" _Pikachu managed to say through his choking laughter. Ash, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur were clutching their sides as well. Charizard was the only one not chuckling and looked visibly irritated.

"_Look, that was my first time there and I didn't know what to expect! That was a rough patch in my life I'd like for you guys to not trivialize!" _he roared, angrily. Pikachu, not the least bit intimidated by the display, walked up to Charizard and patted him on the leg.

"_It's okay...we understand...we already knew you were completely whipped. It's nothing to be ashamed of..."_

"_I'm not whipped!" _Charizard shouted. "_In fact, I'm Charla's bodyguard now!"_

"_Bodyguard or boy-toy?" _Squirtle said through his own set of chuckles.

"_SHUT UP!" _Charizard screamed. A jet of flame rocketed from his mouth and slammed into the ground in the middle of the group. They dropped immediately into shocked silence while Charizard literally fumed. This silence was broken by Pikachu who restarted his hysterics.

"_Man, you are such a prick." _Squirtle said to Pikachu, only half-serious. Pikachu stood, gasping for air and wiping his eyes of tears.

"_S-Sorry guys...In all seriousness, Charizard, it wasn't funny at the time. I felt for you, then. But now that you live up there and are kicking tails and taking names all the live-long day, I felt the need to knock a few levels off any pedestals you built for yourself." _Pikachu said. "_Plus, even you have to admit that it was _really _funny afterwords."_

"_...Yeah..." _Charizard said, chuckling softly.

"_I disagree." _Squirtle said. "_Domestic abuse is never a funny topic. Charizard, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always a phone call away. Just...show me where she touched you." _This started up the tumult of laughter again. Charizard slumped down, his wings drooping.

"_You guys suck..." _he said in an exhausted tone.

"_WAAAIT!" _Pikachu suddenly shouted. "_THOUGHT!" _Ash and his Pokemon groaned in unison.

"_Again? Isn't this getting kind of old?" _Squirtle complained.

"_Squirtle, I thought you told me he grew out of this." _Charizard said.

"_I guess it's all the excitement from today. The whole mind-reading development."_

"_That's not exciting, that's weird." _Charizard turned to Ash. "_No offense. Weird in a...cool way?"_

_ "He's not buying it."_ Squirtle said. He turned to Ash. "_What he meant to say, is that you're not very interesting. Like, _at all."

"That's not true! I've just been listening all day to you guys all day! At least I'm not as screwed in the head as every single one of you!" He shouted.

"_Excuse me?" _Bulbasaur said, raising one eyebrow.

"Sorry. _Almost_ every single one of you."

"_Hey, that kind of insubordination gets you shanked in _my_ gang." _Squirtle said. "_Do you _want_ to get shanked, new meat?"_

_ "GUYS!" _Pikachu said. He pointed to his head. "_THOUGHT!"_

_ "What is it now?" _Squirtle sighed.

"_We should have nicknames!" _Pikachu said excitedly.

"_What happened to that diatribe about how Pokemon are above the need for names?" _Bulbasaur asked.

"_I didn't say that nicknames were _necessary_! I just think that we should have them!" _Pikachu was, yet again, twitching in excitement.

"_Nicknames we'll likely forget in twenty minutes?" _Charizard said, jaded.

"_Yeah!" _said Pikachu. He paused. "_Wait-No! _You _may forget them in twenty minutes, but I won't! I remember everything." _He turned to Squirtle and gave him a crazy look. "_Everything..."_

"_Fine..." _Squirtle sighed, rubbing his temples. "_What are our nickn-"_

"_Okay! Squirtle, you can be Shellshock! Bulbasaur, you can be...Blackops! Charizard, you're...Fireball!"_

"_Are you serious?" _Charizard said. "_That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."_

"_Mine doesn't even make _sense_." _Bulbasaur said.

"_But it's so COOL!" _Pikachu shouted.

"_Actually...I like Shellshock." _Squirtle admitted. "_I guess you had at least one good idea in you, sparky."_

Throughout the Pokemon's argument, Ash had remained silent, finally alone with his thoughts. As soon as the "screwed in the head" comment had left his mouth, a thought had planted itself into the outermost level of his mind and had started to grow. An idea that, for safety's sake, he should probably cut down before it's too late.

"Guys?" he said, not even realizing that he had spoken. He snapped out of it and looked at his bickering Pokemon.

"GUYS!" he screamed. They all stopped, and looked at him with surprising obedience. "Be serious for a minute....Will you help me out with something?"

"_Of course, Ash." _Squirtle said.

"_You don't even need to ask that question." _Pikachu said. "_You already know the answer."_

"Thanks." Ash flashed a nervous smile, one which he quickly dropped. "There's....just one more Pokemon I want to speak with today..."

"_Who?" _Charizard asked. Squirtle and Bulbasaur were looking at Ash, waiting for the answer. Pikachu, by look on his friend's face, already knew the answer.

"_NO." _He said, more sober and serious than he had been all day. "_I'll help you with whatever you want, Ash, but this is a BAD idea. You know it is."_

"I know what I'm doing, Pikachu. I'll make sure no one gets seriously hurt."

"_I'm not worried about the Pokemon. We'll be fine. I'm talking about _you_. Have you thought of protecting _yourself _in this master plan for attempting the _stupidest _project of your entire Pokemon Trainer career?"_

"I'm not worried about what'll happen to me."

"_But _I AM. _You know what happened last time!"_

"Which is why I'm more prepared now." Ash said. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's strategy. You know that."

"_Bu...But..." _Pikachu stuttered, trying to think of a rebuttle. "_But WHY!?" _he finally spat out.

"I have to know." Ash said.

"_Either of you conspirators want to fill us in on the details of your plan?" _Squirtle asked.

Ash nodded his head toward Professor Oak's lab.

"Follow me. I'll explain on the way."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **A word of warning, this chapter is...uh...the reason the story is rated 'T.'

* * *

"EVERYONE! IN POSITIONS!"

Ash examined his as his entourage fell in line before him. They were standing in a rocky crevice in the mountainous regions of the ranch. All of the Pokemon he could find were gathered in the middle, making a rough circle. The Pokemon stood facing the inside of the circle, neatly surrounding the middle point from four directions. Charizard stood east, Brock's Onyx west, Donphan and Heracross stood south, and Ash stood to the north with Snorlax standing directly in front of him.

In between these five stood the smaller Pokemon. Cyndaquil stood between Donphan and Onyx so there would be a secondary fire attacker from behind should Charizard be taken down. Opposite Cyndaquil, between Heracross and Charizard, stood Bayleef. Noctowl stood next to Ash, waiting for the signal. He would be flying directly above the middle of the circle, either to provide and aerial offensive or to get help should something go wrong. Pikachu stood to Ash's left in between Snorlax and Onyx. Squirtle stood next to him (but not _too close_) so they could combine attacks if need be. Slyther stood between Snorlax and Charizard, using the same strategy with Bayleef that Cyndaquil was using with Charizard.

Ash's other, miscellaneous Pokemon that lived on the Ranch stood scattered around, nervous at all the precautions, but ready and willing for anything. Should something go wrong, Bulbasaur was to escape with these Pokemon into the woods and to go look for help. Many of the wild Pokemon had turned out to see what all the commotion was, though not necessarily to help. The only benefit from this group came from Arcanine, who surprisingly showed up with the rest of his pack, standing scattered on top of the rocky cliffs and staring gravely down at the intricate gathering.

"Is this careful enough for you?" Ash said to Pikachu, who was folding his arms and looking displeased.

"_You could have formed a militia of the Legendary Birds, Dogs, and Mew and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference." _Pikachu said, deadly serious, but still noticeably jittery. "_Humans always say that there's no such thing as an evil Pokemon. Those are the humans that end up getting burned to death trying to befriend a Charizard. Anyway, I know you were there, but you didn't see this thing up close. It was evil. There was something...wrong with it. It was just....like it wasn't all the way there..."_

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Ash said, looking forward, "I was never one of those people." He looked down and noticed that his hands were shaking. He clenched them into fists to stop the nervous spasms. It didn't work.

"Listen, Snorlax," Ash said, his voice breaking ever so slightly, "I've just got to let you know that I may end up being the primary target today. I put you in front because you're the toughest one here. Nothing personal." Snorlax looked at Ash over his shoulder, yawning. He was the calmest one there by a long shot.

"_Don't sweat it. I understand." _Snorlax said with surprising laziness given the situation. "_By the way, think about this. There are enough Pokemon here to stop whatever is thrown at us. If we don't, there are enough for you to get away with the rest of the Pokemon. If you can't, the other Pokemon will be safe. If they aren't...no one here has done anything wrong. We'll all likely end up at the same place if we get killed." _He said, scratching his chin. "_Don't be nervous. If you're nervous, you're sloppy. If you're sloppy, you'll be more nervous. You just do what you do before every battle. Just throw away all those extra thoughts. They'll just weigh you down."_

"Th-Thanks, Snorlax." Ash said, taken aback. He took his advice and closed his eyes.

_There aren't nearly enough pokemon half of them don't even have the right training what did I ever think I was going to achieve all I'm going to do is get everyone killed everyone will die and it will be ALL MY FAULT._

Like before, Ash compacted the thoughts to the back of his mind and held them there until they disintegrated. He opened his eyes with a different expression than he had when he closed them. His hands weren't shaking anymore.

"BROCK!" He shouted. Back even farther than Bulbasaur and his group were Brock, Misty (who had completely reconciled), Tracey (wielding his notebook, even in the face of danger), and Professor Oak (looking old for the first time since Ash met him) stood. Misty was looking in her bag with a concerned expression on her face. She turned to Tracey and said something Ash couldn't hear. He looked in the bag, then looked back up at Misty, also saying something inaudible with a similar look of concern.

"YOU READY!?" Brock shouted back, a Pokeball in his hand. Noctowl took this as a signal and flew up high over the circle.

"THROW IT!"

Brock crossed his fingers, then threw the ball as hard as he could. It landed in the middle of the assembled Pokemon and popped open with a blinding flash.

Kadabra emerged from the flash, standing limply with its spoon dangling from its fingers.

It was glaring.

Every living thing drew in an awed and anxious breath at the same time. The few wild Pokemon who recognized the danger immediately bolted upon seeing what had emerged from the Pokeball.

"KADABRA!" Ash shouted powerfully. "I want to talk to you! As you can see, you're surrounded! So don't try anything funny!"

The Kadabra peered at Ash between Snorlax's massive arms.

"_Understood." _It said in a deep, frighteningly dignified voice.

"Why did you attack me!?" Ash asked. The Kadabra simply stood, silent.

"I won't force you to answer, but it would make things easier for you if you did!"

"_Ash, this isn't going to work." _Pikachu whispered. Ash shot him a harsh look, then quickly looked back at Kadabra.

To his amazement, the Kadabra was facing the Pokemon to the left. He had turned without Ash seeing him move. Ash blinked, astounded. This feeling was amplified when he saw that Kadabra was rotating clockwise, examining each Pokemon in the circle, only moving when Ash closed his eyes for a split second when he blinked.

"Stop that!" he shouted, afraid. The Pokemon who could spare a glance looked confusedly at Ash, then back at the Kadabra.

It started to laugh.

"_Would it trouble you to know, little boy, that I'm not moving a muscle?" _it said. The ground under its feet started to change. The rocks and dirt were bleached white from the heat that extended from under the earth. The sky had begun to rain a black, oily substance that instantly evaporated off of the heat from the rocks "_I'm not doing...a thing." _The Kadabra said as its eyes became black and peppered with stars and mouthed tentacles twisted and writhed from its open, laughing mouth.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Ash shouted, stumbling back. As soon as he took a step, everything became normal. The ground was its regular color, the sky was cloudless, and Kadabra was still laughing.

"_Ash..." _Pikachu snapped his head between the laughing Kadabra and his white-faced friend. "_What..."_

"Stop!" Ash screamed. "Stay away from my mind!"

"_I'm letting you in mine." _Kadabra said, still smiling. "_Why can't I take a peek in yours?"_

"I'M asking the questions now!" Ash said angrily. "Why did you attack me earlier!? Why did you give m-" Ash's throat locked up. Kadabra started to giggle again. Ash felt a writhing, undulating, sticky _something_ stop up his windpipe. He clutched his neck, feeling an enormous lump under the skin. He was choking on it. The only way to stop it would be to swallow it. But don't worry. You'll love it. It contains all the vitamins and nutrients you'll ever need from here on out.

"_**GET OUT OF MY HEAD!**_" Ash shouted desperately, clutching his temples and falling to his knees. Kadabra simply laughed like a giddy schoolgirl.

"EVERYONE! GET READY!" He shouted, more angry than afraid. Every Pokemon got into their various ready stances. The flame on Charizard's tail and Cyndaquil's back both flared up at the same time. Pikachu got on all fours, his cheeks sparking. Squirtle cracked his knuckles and braced himself. Slyther scraped his blades together, Onyx slammed the ground with his tail, Heracross got in a sprinter's stance, ready to charge, and Donphan leaned forward, ready to roll. Every Pokemon in the circle, and some that weren't, were an inch away from tearing Kadabra apart.

It looked around and the angry Pokemon, the shadow of a smile still on its face.

"_Aren't you all so obedient!?_" it shouted in mock approval. It raised its hand and pointed to each Pokemon in turn. Ash felt and influx of thoughts race through his head. He realized, with terror, that Kadabra was using Ash as a human transfer box so it forced him to hear all the thoughts himself as well.

"_Now then..." _it said, finished. It pointed at Squirtle. "_After this, I'm going to kill your Squadmates in front of you." _It pointed to Bulbasaur in the back. "_Everything you know is a lie. Your world is an empty ball orbiting a dying star, non-caring. Your mother was a lying bitch." _It pointed to Charizard. "_You were, are, and never will be strong enough. I'll gut Charla like a fish and flay her on the piled bones of your Charizard friends." _Finally, it pointed at Pikachu. "_You'll be in a Pokeball for the rest of your life." _It said, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Charizard got angry and growled more menacingly than either Ash or the other Pokemon had ever heard before. Squirtle picked up a sizable rock and gripped it in his small, webbed hand like it was his last hope. Pikachu's hair stood up on end and the air pressure dropped so fast that Ash got a nosebleed this time. Bulbasaur, normally the calm, straight man of the group, whipped his vines out so fast they cut the falling leaves in half in midair.

"_Alright, Ash." _The Kadabra said. "_Why did I give you telepathy? I'll answer your question. But first, you-" _It was interrupted by Charizard, furiously roaring at the top of his lungs. He roared so loudly that the Arcanine on the hill stepped back frightened. Even Pikachu looked startled at the white-hot rage Charizard was carrying. He stepped back, reared his neck as far as it could go, and breathed a stream of fire so hot that not even Cyndaquil or the Arcanines could look at it. The fire washed over Kadabra, bathing it in its own funeral pyre and turning some of the loose gravel into melted glass.

As the fire dissipated, Kadabra was untouched.

"_Well! Isn't someone eager!?" _It said, delighted. It extended its arm toward Charizard. "_You'll just have to wait your turn like everyone else." _It closed its hand into a fist.

Charizard was slammed in the stomach with a ball of hyper-condensed psionic energy. The entire group heard a rib snap sickeningly as he flew backward. Charizard, ever the fighter, stood his ground. He punched the ground in pain, roared again, then limped determinedly back to his place in the circle.

"_You're persistent, too!" _Kadabra said. "_I think you'll be fun!" _ It turned back to Ash. "_For me to answer your questions, first you'll have to answer mine. Tell me, little boy," _it was grinning madly again, wide-eyed and excited, "_do you enjoy...the Opera?"_

Kadabra raised its spoon-hand into the air.

Immediately, everyone and everything in the valley shrieked in pain and dropped to the ground. Those that could were clutching their heads and thrashing in the dirt in agony. Even the humans in the back were having violent seizures on the solid rock face. The Arcanine that had been watching from above tumbled down the cliff face, howling in pain and twisting their enormous bodies. Some of the weaker Pokemon had passed out. Noctowl came hurling out of the sky and crumpled to the ground, breaking a wing. Pikachu was sending bolts of electricity shooting off across the ground, gritting his teeth, and clutching his ears. Squirtle was actually slamming the rock against his temple in an attempt to make himself fall unconscious.

Every Pokemon in the area was on the ground and screaming in a kind of pain they never imagined could exist.

Except for Kadabra.

Tracey, Misty, Brock, and Professor Oak were similarly stricken, though they had not been able to let out a scream yet. Misty had dropped her bag. It was lying forgotten beside her as she curled into the fetal position, her face contorted into a soundless wail and tears were streaming down her face. Brock managed to stay on his knees, his right hand on his head and his left balled into a fist to his side. He stiffly reached for a Pokeball to return Kadabra to, but he slipped and fell to his back and was unable to move anymore. Tracey had simply dropped like a sack of rocks and was mindlessly drawing circles in his notebook, tearing the page and not caring. Professor Oak was curled into a ball, facing away. He was twitching, but that was about all the movement Ash could see.

Every human was ready to kill themselves to escape from the agonizing, simulated pain they felt only in their minds.

Except for Ash.

The Kadabra stared at the sky with its arms stretched out on either side, lost in serendipity. It closed its eyes and started to lightly undulate to the sound of the screams as if it were listening to music.

"_I love it." _it finally said. Kadabra lowered its head and looked at Ash, smiling with tears streaming down its face. "_I really do. It's not often I get this many together at one time. Its mostly limited to cantatas and small ensembles. But _this!_" _It raised its arms in the air and looked around and the thrashing bodies. "This _is divine. _THIS _is the sound I've been looking for to use in my next piece. Though, I'm going to have to do some prodding. After all, all great composers demand a great deal from their performers."_

Kadabra put a hand up to its chin. It brought its hand into the air and slowly lowered it. The screams started to recede to soft moaning, much to Ash's relief.

"_Now...who will be my soprano?" _It said as it panned the crowd. It pointed at Cyndaquil. "_How about you? Let's see what you can do." _Kadabra raised its hand into the air, curled its fingers into a claw, and twisted.

Cyndaquil's howls of pain tripled. It beat the ground with its legs and sobbed profusely.

"_**STOP IT!**_" Ash shouted, crying almost as hard as Cyndaquil. Kadabra ceased its torture of the young Pokemon and walked toward Ash.

"_We are making _music! MUSIC, _you unrefined piece of garbage! Show some respect for the craft and be _QUIET_!" _It shouted. It turned back to Cyndaquil who was panting on the ground. "_Good...but the timbre is all wrong. Stay put. I may come back to you." _It folded its arms and tapped its foot on the ground. It gasped delightedly. "_You!" _It pointed at Squirtle. Squirtle stood up, knees knocking together. "_Would you like to try?" _It asked patronizingly. Squirtle spat on the ground. Kadabra frowned and twisted its arm again.

Squirtle fell backward, clutching his head and gritting his teeth, determined not to make a sound. Kadabra furrowed its brow and brought up its second hand with two fingers pointed toward Squirtle. It began to slowly turn that hand like it was boring into something. Squirtle let out a petrifying scream of pain.

"_No, no, no! That's not going to work! If you continue to act this way I'll cut you from the opera, do you understand me?" _It shouted. It humphed frustratedly and turned. Kadabra's frown flipped when he saw Bayleef.

"_I've got a feeling you'll suit the role perfectly!" _it said. Bayleef stared at Kadabra, unable to move from both fear and agonizing pain.

"I SAID STOP IT!" Ash shouted again. Kadabra wheeled around, glaring. Its spoon suddenly liquified into a small pool of melted metal in the palm of its hand. Kadabra threw the liquid into the air in a large arc. The metal solidified in mid-air into a huge, thin blade. The blade launched itself threw the air and stopped an inch from Ash's face.

"_BE QUIET!" _It shouted. It turned back to Bayleef and twisted its arm. Bayleef rose into the air and shrieked, crying profusely. Kadabra's face lit up.

"_Perfect!" _It cried. "_You must be female! You'll be the star, naturally. I've an affinity to using sopranos in my work."_

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Ash shouted. Kadabra, without looking, waved its hand toward Ash. He suddenly was unable to breath. He felt his face to find his mouth to be fused shut. He started to panic, but remembered what Snorlax had said. He breathed in through his nose and let it out slowly, regaining his composure.

"That's not going to work anymore." Ash said, standing tall and angry. "Your tricks and illusions aren't going to affect me." Kadabra turned around, staring at him blankly.

"_'Oh no. My illusions won't work on you. Whatever will I do?'" _It turned away and waved its hand. Ash suddenly felt himself being pulled into the rock itself. He had been sunken into the solid rock he stood on up to his knees. Ash tugged on his legs. This was real.

Kadabra walked over to Charizard, who was now struggling to his feet and glaring more angrily than ever.

"_I usually like to get a feel for my singers by finding the absolute lowest and highest sounds they can possibly make. I'll bet you'll make a fine bass, won't you?"_

Charizard simply growled and tried to bite the Kadabra, just missing by a foot. Kadabra twisted its arm. Charizard roared and slammed the ground with his tail, the fire flaring to almost triple its original size. He flailed every moving limb on his body in any type of effort to get away or strike his oppressor. When Kadabra stopped, he lunged at the Pokemon. If he was going to die here, he was going to take something with him.

Kadabra simply stepped to the side and let the attack pass. It pointed at Charizard. Charizard floated ten feet into the air, then slammed into the ground with enough force to shake the valley. Kadabra did this three more times before tossing him aside like a broken toy.

"_Show-stealing will get you nowhere. Your voice is decent, but its missing something." _It turned to Snorlax and twisted. Snorlax didn't move nearly as much as Charizard, but he yelled just as loud and much deeper.

"_Brilliant!" _Kadabra shouted! "_You'll do perfect! You'll need some practice, but in-" _Kadabra suddenly stopped, then grinned. "_Yes! Thank you, muses! You always know how to push the right buttons!" _Kadabra turned and raised both hands, one pointed at Charizard and the other at Snorlax. It twisted both arms. Both Pokemon shouted, though Charizard more weakly than before.

"_Do you hear that!?" _Kadabra shouted, excited. "_That is gorgeous! You all are so talented! Wait!" _Kadabra dropped the both of them and turned. It pointed its left hand at Bayleef and its right directly in between Charizard (who was now panting profusely and starting to foam at the mouth) and Snorlax. It twisted both arms. Bayleef's high-pitched screams mingled with the deep howls of Snorlax and Charizard. Kadabra closed its eyes and breathed in deeply, facing the sky.

"Please!" Ash shouted, futilely. He couldn't take any more of the torture of his friends. It had gotten to the point where he was sobbing dryly, having no more tears to shed. "Please just stop this!" He could not take the screams of his Pokemon anymore. But he had to admit, the sound of all those screams together was delightful. It made him feel fulfilled. He silently relished how well the sounds went together and how beautiful it sounded when Ash closed his-

"**GET OUT OF MY MIND!**" Ash shouted, pounding on his temples and trying desperately to pull his legs out of the bedrock. Kadabra simply laughed at him.

Suddenly, the air pressure dropped. Ash felt light-headed and smelled ozone. He managed a small smile, making sure not to touch any of the buttons on his jacket.

"CCHHUUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu shouted as an indescribably huge bolt of lightening issued from his broken body. For a second, a split-second, he forgot about the agonizing pain he knew wasn't real. He forgot about the horrifying thoughts that he was being made to think. He forgot about the sights he was made to see. For a second, Pikachu was once again lost in the euphoric fury of battle and wanted to be alive just a bit longer to finish it.

The bolt struck Kadabra before it could turn around to face it. It shouted in pain and dropped the screaming Pokemon. It, for a moment, dropped the spell it had over everyone in the valley and gave them a few seconds of peace.

Then, Kadabra stood, furious. It flung its spoon into the ground and raised its arm at Pikachu, palm facing forward. Pikachu skidded across the ground toward Kadabra and, like a magnet, shot off the ground and into its hand. It turned, glaring at Ash, holding Pikachu by the head with its long, probing fingers.

"_You want to know why I gave you the power to read minds?!" _It shouted, angrily. "_Giving the chosen a power of the captor is Step 1!"_

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked, weakly. He was staring at Pikachu, trying to devise a way to keep the Kadabra from crushing his skull between its bony digits.

"_I chose you, Ash Ketchum! You were going to be my familier! My human pet!" _It shouted. It raised the first finger on its left hand. "_Step 1: Endow the chosen with one of the abilities of the owner." _It raised another finger._ "Step 2: Destroy the chosen's ties to their former life, a process I was in the middle of before I was so _rudely_," _It squeezed Pikachu's head," _interrupted! Step 3: Destroy the human's humanity and Step 4: Bind the human to the administrator! My goal was to make Steps 1 and 2 as painless and entertaining as possible so that Step 4 would be easier! I'm going to give you power beyond you wildest dreams, human, and YOU DON'T EVEN APPRECIATE IT!" _The Kadabra was furious now, its shouts echoing throughout the whole ranch. Its rage was so acute, some of the Pokemon on the other end of the ranch started to feel nauseous. The citizens of Pallet Town would report bizarre migraines for the next few weeks.

"_Because of the insolence of your little RAT, I'm going to make this difficult for the both of us!" _Kadabra continued to shout, angrily.

"_I..." _Pikachu choked out. "_I'm...a _mouse_....dumbass..." _he said, smiling weakly. Kadabra raised Pikachu into the air, about to spike him into the ground like a football.

"_LET THIS BE YOUR BABTISM!" _It shouted. Suddenly, Kadabra stopped, staring up at the hill. Pikachu was staring in the same direction, his eyes slowly lighting up. Ash turned to look for himself.

Out of Misty's bag emerged a small, white spek on the hillside. It seemed to be the only thing besides Ash and Kadabra that wasn't in pain.

"**TOGEPI!**" Ash shouted, excited beyond reason. Through all the events of the day, he had completely forgotten about the enigmatic little egg-Pokemon. Ash managed to hear some of its thoughts from where he was.

"_Where....Misty? Get up...please...Scared...Where....Why everybody lie down?" _she thought, nervously, tapping her hands together.

"_**TOGEPI!**_" Pikachu shouted as loud as he could. "_**TOGEPI! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO SOMETHING!**_"

"_SHUT UP!" _Kadabra threw Pikachu back onto the ground and raised its hand in the air again. All the Pokemon started to shout again in pain, except for Pikachu who stood, shaking, next to Squirtle, who had fallen unconscious some time ago.

"_**DON'T BE SCARED! JUST USE YOUR MOVE!**_" he cringed and grabbed his head, dropping to his knees. "_YOU CAN DO IT, TOGEPI!"_ he said, falling to the ground.

Ash looked over at Togepi, not knowing what Pikachu was talking about.

"_Move....use....my magic. Help friends...Pikachu....hurt...."_ she looked at Kadabra and glared. "_You....YOU hurt friends!" _Togepi's small hands started to glow. She raised them in the air and started to tap them back and forth.

_Metronome? _Ash said, too astonished to be afraid. He read Togepi's mind.

"_Please...help....friends hurt....stop bad guy...please." _To his amazement, Ash heard a second voice in Togepi's mind. This voice was gentle, calm, and powerful. It was not one voice, but a consolidation of and infinite number of voices, all speaking in a beautiful rhythm.

"_**We hear you plea, Togepi, and grant your wish. We will right was has been done wrong.**_"

As the voice faded, Togepi opened her eyes. They were glowing from the inside, lighting all the world within her sight. She raised her arms and pointed at Kadabra.

"_**Singularity.**_" A voice said. A voice that would make Ash ponder for the rest of his life over who said that word. All he knew for sure, was the effect.

All the air in the valley was suddenly sucked toward a point in the middle. Even the air in Ash's lungs was sucked out. The focal point was a small, barely discernible black dot on Kadabra's chest. It started to panic and tried to brush it off. Its finger caught on the edge of the hole and, with a sickening crunch, it was torn off by the suction. Kadabra started to scream in terror, but it was a futile shout as it only lasted a few more seconds. Ash watched until the point where Kadabra's entire left arm was pulled out of its socket and sucked inside the tiny hole. After that, he had to turn away. He heard the monster's final death screech cut short by a disgusting cracking and crunching sound as it was sucked through a black hole the size of a pinprick, feet-first. When Ash looked back, all that was left was a small puddle of blood and a silver spoon lying forgotten on the ground.


	16. Chapter 16

All at once, the screams of the twitching Pokemon died down into exhausted panting and sighs of relief. Half of them immediately passed out as soon as their pain was lifted. Ash saw some of his Pokemon struggle to stand, but helplessly fell over. He tried to pull his legs out of the solid rock, but they wouldn't budge.

"Pikachu!" Ash desperately shouted to the only Pokemon that was moving. "Go get help!"

"_But I need to stay here!" _Pikachu protested, wincing as he walked and gesturing to the moaning crowd.

"You're the only one that's fast enough right now to go anywhere. Try to tell Nurse Joy to send some medics over here. Or at least get her to follow you."

"_The Pokemon need my HE-"_

"GO!" Ash shouted. Pikachu huffed angrily, then sped off toward the road as fast as he could.

Ash continued to tug on his sunken legs until he saw an enormous shape moving in front of him.

"_THAT...was not fun..." _Snorlax said to himself, still lying face-down.

"Snorlax!" Ash shouted. "Get me out of here, will ya?"

"_No problem. Just...I need a minute." _Snorlax rose to his massive feet and stood unsteadily, holding his pounding head and trying to regain his balance. He looked over at Ash. "_What happened to you?"_

"Tell you later. Just get me out of here!" Snorlax limped over to Ash, grabbed him under his arms, and sharply pulled upward. He felt himself move, but Ash's legs stayed stuck in the rock. "Ahh! Try again!"

Snorlax spread out his stance and pulled, this time more slowly and carefully. Ash wriggled his feet and roughly slid out of the two holes. Snorlax placed him on his feet where he staggered, waiting for the blood to return to his legs.

"Thanks." He said.

"_No problem." _Snorlax said, still as lazy as ever. He shook one of his legs. "_Ow. Must've slept on it."_

By then, Ash was already sprinting to the middle of the circle. He flung his head around wildly to see which Pokemon were alright. Heracross and Donphan were helping each other to their feet. Ash and Squirtle locked eyes as he was struggling to stand. He gave a weak thumbs-up before dropping to his knee. Slyther was already on his legs and was helping Bulbasaur set Noctowl's wing. Bulbasaur glanced over at Ash, nodded, then returned to his work. Ash saw that Bayleef was still lying on the ground and sobbing. He took a step to go to her, but was stopped by something tugging on his pants leg.

"_Ash..." _He looked down and saw that it was Cyndaquil, covered in dirt and with tears precariously balanced on his eyelids. "_I'm sorry...I didn't...I" _Ash quickly stooped and picked up his youngest Pokemon.

"It's alright." he said, patting him on the back. "You did good. You're okay. Shhh..." Cyndaquil sniffed back tears, trying to act as tough as he could. Ash jogged to Bayleef, Cyndaquil still in hand. He gently set Cyndaquil down before laying a hand on Bayleef's neck.

"Bayleef!" He said, afraid. "It's alright! Its gone! The Kadabra is gone!"

"_Ash...." _she said, weakly weeping, "_He...hurt me...it hurt so badly....why did...." _she broke down into tears in Ash's arms. He patted her, helplessly. "_He did things to me...in my mind...Ash..."_ Cyndaquil plodded over to her and laid his hand on her shoulder. She continued to bawl for a few minutes before calming down.

"I'm so sorry..." Ash said. "This...none of this should have happened...I didn't know. I'm sorry, Bayleef." He wrapped his arms around her green neck and hugged her. He stood, reluctantly backing away, to deal with the other hurt Pokemon. He turned. His Pokemon were on their feet and helping the others to theirs. He smiled. His Pokemon were a lot tougher than he thought. They'd be alright. The pack of Arcanine who had showed up to help stood. They saw all the other Pokemon helping each other. The alpha, the one Ash had spoken to, gestured for the others to leave while he stayed to help. They obeyed without question. However, in between all the moving forms was one that stuck out like a sore thumb.

Charizard had not moved since Kadabra had dropped him.

"Charizard!" Ash shouted as he ran, not knowing if he was alive or dead. He slid across the dirt to his Pokemon. He grunted as he lifted Charizard's heavy head onto his lap as he sat down. Charizard had gotten it worse than anyone there. That was evident by the sight of him. Deep gashes were torn in his face from where he had been gripping his head in pain and terror. His thick skin was colder than he had ever felt it. It was clammy under his hands and Charizard was shaking. His breaths were shallow and fast.

"Charizard!" He yelled into his Pokemon's ear. This time, Charizard weakly opened his eyes. He stared off into space, his pupils dilated, with a look of twisted horror on his face.

"_It...so cold....." _he said, softly. "_It was so cold....I...couldn't.....freezing...." _Charizard curled up a little more. Ash noticed that his flame was barely the size of that of a lighter.

Suddenly, Ash felt a hand tug on the back of his collar, pulling him to his feet.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Brock shouted. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT! You KNEW that Kadabra was dangerous! WHY did you make us let it out!?"

"Brock! Stop it! This isn't his fault!" Misty said. "We took more precautions then we even needed! No one could have predicted that Pokemon was so powerful!"

"We wouldn't have even been IN this mess if it weren't for you!" He shouted at Ash.

"How in God's name was I supposed to know what would happen!?" Ash shoved Brock's hand off and pushed him backward. "You think this is MY fault!? That I'M the one who did all this!? FINE! But don't stand around blaming me while there's work to be done!"

"Ash!" Misty shouted, concerned. "Ash, what's wrong with Charizard?"

"I don't know! That's what I WAS trying to figure out!"

Brock knelt down beside Ash and felt Charizard's neck.

"Ash! He's going into shock!" Brock said, putting aside blame for a moment. "We need to do something fast before his body shuts down on him!"

"Wh-Then what do we do!?" Ash dropped to his knees and held Charizard's head in his hands.

"_Cold...."_

"Get him a blanket!" he shouted, whipping his head around.

"I don't think that's how you treat sh-" Brock began.

"We'll deal with that in a minute! Just get me a blanket!" Brock slung his pack around to his chest and pulled out a large, silver emergency blanket. Ash snatched it and covered as much of his Pokemon as he could.

"_Cold..."_

"Don't worry. We'll warm you up as soon as we can."

"_It was...so cold....those _eyes_...they hurt me....cut me and bled me.....in the dark...."_

"Oh hell...Cyndaquil!" Ash shouted over his shoulder. Cyndaquil, who had been comforting Bayleef, looked up, then ran as fast as his tiny legs would let him over to Ash.

"Cyndaquil! Use Fire Spin!" Ash shouted. Cyndaquil looked around confused.

"_On what?"_

"On Charizard!"

"_But I don't want to-"_

"You won't. Fire Spin!"

Cyndaquil stepped back, flaring up the quills on his back. He let fly a twisting helix of fire that washed over Charizard's lower body. Though not leaving so much as a scorch on his hide (as intended), it heated his body temperature a good deal. His tail flame got a little bigger.

"Again! Use Ember! On the ground!" Cyndaquil spat out small balls of flame that scorched the ground under Charizard, but didn't do much else.

_"Cold..."_

"I need it hotter!"

_"But I can't do it hott-"_

"Yes you can! Charizard is about to die, Cyndaquil! You need to be at your best if we're gonna save him!"

Cyndaquil backed up, lowered his forehead, then let fly a much bigger attack, squealing at the top of his lungs with his quills almost rocketing out of his back. It hit the ground dead-center of where Ash wanted it and turned the rocks red-hot.

"Perfect! Good job, Cyndaquil!"

_"Cold..."_

"We're doing the best we can! Just hold on, Charizard!"

"_Cold....dark...."_

"Totodile!" Ash shouted. The blue Pokemon sprinted over, his toothy, trademark grin nowhere to be seen.

"_Yeah?"_

"Spray water on Charizard's face."

"_'Kay." _Totodile, breathed in, then squirted a spout of water onto Charizard's face. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash noticed the flame getting bigger.

"_Dark..."_

"CHARIZARD!" Ash shouted in furious helplessness. Ash gripped him around his massive neck and shook him. "STOP! You're stronger than this! You've ALWAYS been stronger than this! FIGHT dammit! Fire is life!" Tears fell from Ash's face without him even realizing it. "That's what you told me! Fire is life!" He fell over Charizard's body, beating on his neck with a weak fist. "This world is colder than the one you're in right now...We need you and your fire, Charizard..." He stopped pounding and let his arm fall useless to the side."...Remember when we..had to thaw you out after you got frozen in the Orange Islands? I'm willing to do that a thousand times over, so long as I get to hear you roar again...." He chuckled. "So long as you're there to burn me now and again...you still owe me that flight, y'know. I told you I'd...I'd take you up on that..." Ash's voice broke as he began to cry again.

"I messed up, Charizard. I know that...It was my fault this happened...Not yours or anyone else's. Not even Kadabra's. We had a moment today and...I finally felt like we had become friends...The kind of friendship I have with Pikachu...the guys, basically. I finally felt like the wrong I did had been lifted...I just can't...." He swallowed a knot in his throat. "I can't let this be the thing you blame me for next...I'm sorry, Charizard. All I want is for you to forgive me...Just...." Ash finally broke down, lying his head down on Charizard's neck. "Just don't go before you get a chance to tell me if you ac-accept my apology, Charizard." He pounded one more time on Charizard. "Just be there to tell me we're still friends..."

Ash's voice finally failed him and he could do nothing but cry and hold his Pokemon's limp, shivering body. He felt completely useless for the first time in his life. He felt that there wasn't a thing that he could do in the world. His mind was blank. His vision was blurry. His voice was broken. His hands shook. His legs wouldn't support him. All he had left was his will, and even that seemed to be no good today. All he could do was weep like a pathetic baby, sniffling every so often like a child that had dropped his ice cream cone.

He never saw Pikachu and several doctors with medical Pokeballs come over the hill like the magnificent cavalry. He never saw Charizard open his eyes for a split second and glance at Ash before he passed out again. He never saw the sympathetic faces of his Pokemon as they watched their ever-watchful, unstoppable master break down before their eyes over an old friend.

All he saw was the dirt, wet from his falling teardrops.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **Just to let you know, this is the last chapter of the story.

* * *

Ash and Pikachu, the only Pokemon who refused any treatment, sat in the empty lobby of the Pokemon center. It was well after 10 and Brock, Misty, and Tracey had gone to see to Professor Oak at the hospital. Pikachu sat on the edge of the chair, letting his legs dangle in the air and swinging them to entertain himself. Ash sat with his feet in his chair, his eyes barely clearing his knees as he stared, feeling empty and drained, at the wall across from him.

"_Y'know...this _totally _was not your fault." _Pikachu finally said. Ash continued to stare at the wall before answering, still without looking.

"Yes it is."

"_No, it's not." _Pikachu said, getting to his feet and standing on the chair. "_Remember how I told you that some Pokemon are evil? Well, that Pokemon was evil and CRAZY, if you didn't happen to notice. I mean..._I _didn't even see that coming. Kadabra was so far off the deep end, I'm surprised she could even see the other side of the pool." _He sat down again. "_Y'know...in a manner of speaking..."_

"Pikachu..." Ash said, grimly. "Please....just be quiet for a bit."

They sat in awkward silence, Ash still scowling at nothing and Pikachu trying to find away to cheer his best friend up. He couldn't think of anything, so he sat in silence too, feeling almost as guilty for not being able to help as Ash.

"_I'm sorry," _Pikachu said, standing up again, "_but I just can't do this. I'm not going to sit here and watch you beat yourself up over something that clearly was not your fault."_

"It was my idea to get all my Pokemon together in one place. It was my idea to set them up to fight the most dangerous monster I had ever met just so I could talk with it." Ash snapped his head at Pikachu. "So I could have a nice, friendly little _chat _with it. I knew the risks. I knew what I was getting into. Why didn't I stop it?" He asked, a rhetorical question. "Because I guess I'm more like that Kadabra than I thought."

Pikachu stood glaring, his stance wide and his hands balled up into little fists. He backed up and poised himself ready to lunge as his tail glowed white.

"_Iron Tail." _Ash heard Pikachu think to himself. He had just enough time to whirl around in his seat before he was slammed bodily off his chair and sent sliding across the tile floor on his back. Pikachu sprinted over and jumped on Ash's chest, grabbing the front of his shirt in his fist.

"_When I said I wasn't going to do this, I mean that I'm not going to deal with this kind of shit from you!" _He shouted. "_You think that you're the only one who's done something wrong? You think you're special? You think you're the only one with any damn problems!? When I said it wasn't your fault, I MEANT IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT! I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bitch and moan and cut yourself while I bust my ass trying to make you feel better!" _He pulled Ash's head off the floor. "_Here's the summary: pull yourself together and stop complaining about how you're the only person who's ever made an uh-oh on the carpet. No one cares." _Pikachu let go, letting Ash's head bang against the floor. He walked back over to the bench, jumped up back to his seat, and laid down with his hands over his eyes to block the glare from the ceiling light.

Ash sat up, astonished, rubbing his sore head. He stood up mindlessly and sat down on the nearest bench across from Pikachu, mulling over what he had said. Meanwhile, his Pokemon continued to fume, half out of anger and half out of making Ash learn his lesson on his own.

They sat in silence for a good while. Neither of them felt any want or need to break the calm, empty quiet of the Pokemon Center. They could hear some of the doctors talking in the back room and occasionally the moan of an injured Pokemon, though most of them were already asleep. Hopefully.

A single chuckle escaped Ash. This grew into more until he was quietly laughing to himself. Pikachu pretended not to notice. Ash stood up and walked to the bench facing him. His footsteps sounded much louder than they usually would have. He sat down next to Pikachu, who was still lying on his back and was still trying to ignore him. Ash laughed again and rubbed his Pokemon's head, though not enough to cause the same problem he had before. Pikachu flailed in alarm and threw Ash's hand off of his head, turned, and glared at him, feeling slightly violated.

"Thanks." Ash said, smiling.

Pikachu flashed a quick grin himself and stood up. "_About time." _He said, stretching. "_I wasn't going to wait here all night for you to wrap your head around the fact that you're a wimp." _He looked at Ash. "_I would have returned your pity-party invitation too, y'know."_

"Good. Because you weren't invited. I don't want some hyperactive little 9-volt eating all the chips and salsa."

"_Hyperactive little _12-volt, _thank you very much." _Pikachu turned away, bashfully. "_Glad you're okay." _he quickly said.

"I should be telling that to you. Kadabra wasn't trying to _kill _me."

"_She wanted to, but you know how these things go. Somebody tries to mind-rape me, you go 'Pikachu! No!' Then another Pokemon comes out of nowhere and distracts the one attacking, and then we both team up and beat its ass."_

"That's basically what happened today, too."

"_Yeah, except our Pokemon in shining armor usually doesn't _kill _the aggressor. I'm not even sure what happened, to be completely honest."_

"Togepi used Metronome and sucked that Kadabra through a black hole."

"_WOW. I guess she didn't know what hit her."_

"Who? Togepi?"

"_No, the Kadabra."_

"Why'd you call it a she?"

"_Because....she was a female?"_

"It sounded male to me. No...it _was _male to me! It spoke in a male voice! I heard it!"

"_But I heard it with a woman's voice!"_

"Then....what does that mean...."

"_I don't even wanna know..." _Pikachu paused. "_Dude...that is _creepy_."_

"No kidding. So what did he-she-it do to you, anyway?"

"_What, you think _I _know? I'm not the one who has a CB radio for thoughts."_

"Your analogies are getting worse."

"_It's been a long day....Anyway, all I know is that when Kadabra raised her hand-"_

"His."

"Whatever. _When Kadabra raised its hand, every muscle in my body felt like it was tearing apart from the inside. Not only that, but a whole bunch of other horrible sensations."_

"Like..."

"_Like the one part where it felt like all the hair on my body had suddenly become sentient and made of metal and they were stabbing me all over. Once, he-she-it made me think that I was being torn in half. Slowly. Also, I heard things. Like...voices. It was weird. I heard someone say 'You're worthless! You're damaged goods! You shouldn't have left him!' Stuff like that. I don't need to tell you that it sucked."_

"What was that last part?"

"_What, were you not listening?"_

"What was that last voice you heard talking about?"

"_Hm...Can you ask me that later?"_

"Why? We've got plenty of time. The room is empty and you don't even have to say a word."

"_If you're coming onto me, I'll have you know I'm an expensive date."_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll go to a fancy dinner and a movie. Now tell me. You're hiding something, but you're not doing a good job at it."

"_What...exactly do you wanna know?"_

"First of all, what was that thing about 'You shouldn't have left him'? Also, when you were playing Drill Sargent Tough Love on my chest, you sounded like you guilty about something...What happened, Pikachu?"

Pikachu was silent for a while, staring at the floor and trying to consolidate his thoughts.

"_Well....it....Okay, listen. This is my own personal little sob-story, alright? This is private, heavy shit for me that I don't like talking about with anybody. I get word from any of the other Pokemon that you've been spreading this around, I'll end you so fast your soul won't even know what to do with itself. Tu comprende?"_

"Uh...Si?"

"_Muy bueno. This isn't the saddest story in the world, but its the cause of a lot of bad scars. It all came from my first trainer. He was-"_

"Wait, first trainer? I thought I was your first trainer!"

"_No, I had one master before you. This was years ago, man. Have I not told you this?"_

"You couldn't talk."

"_Yes I could! You just have piece-of-crap human ears."_

"Years...how old are you?"

Pikachu thought for a moment. "_Like...16...17?"_

"What!? Pikachu, you're older than I am!"

"_Yeah, but that doesn't even begin to make a difference with this story. Anyway, I had a trainer before you. I don't remember his name but I remember his face. Y'know how humans with dark hair usually have dark eyes? This guy was weird. He had jet-black hair, but really bright blue eyes. I couldn't ever look at him during a battle or I'd get distracted. I mean, they were pretty much white from far away. Creepy. _

_ "Anyway, old blue-eyes was ambitious. He wanted to join up with the Elite Four. He always talked about it like it was some kind of given. I don't know whether he was psyching himself up to work harder or if he was really that delusional. His big plan of being one of the top Four trainers in all of the region was to get as many Pokemon as he could. He set up a storage box at his hometown Pokemon Center and would send back, like, _dozens _of Pokemon a week. They had a whole storage room dedicated to his mountain of Pokeballs. Of course, he was allowed to do this because of Mumsie and Dadsie's money." _Pikachu rubbed his fingers together.

"_When I say this guy was a prick, I _mean it_. He had no respect for the Pokemon that he caught and 'raised.' They talked about him like he was a god that descended from some upper level of heaven to show a half-dozen mediocre Pokemon how to suck just a little less. I hated the guy from the get-go. When I was wild, I remember being scared of humans in general. Mostly due to lack of information."_

"Hang on, I have a quick question. You and Bulbasaur talked about being wild before. Is there that big a difference between being a wild Pokemon and a trained one?"

"_Well...YEAH. For us, being caught by a trainer is like humans going through puberty, from what I understand anyway. It kind of sucks, but it ultimately is for the better. Your temper goes down, you start to gain a little more control over your abilities, and you can sometimes feel yourself becoming less savage. It's weird, but puts a new perspective on stuff."_

"Really? I wouldn't have thought it was like that."

"_Yeah, but here's something else. Y'know how Pokeballs work?"_

"No...do you?"

"_Yeah, from experience, anyway. Pokeballs work by overriding any free will that the Pokemon previously had in the wild, as long as that trainer is skilled enough. We're basically slaves. Of course, we usually don't realize it."_

"Wh-WHAT!?" Ash shouted, his eyes as wide as headlights. "SERIOUSLY!?"

"_YEAH. I know."_

"How...do you know? I mean...did you not have any free will? Do you have free will now?"

"_When I would battle, I would do whatever this trainer told me to. I hated this bastard. I sincerely wanted him to die, but there was jack-shit I could do about it! I would have to try and __FORCE myself not to use the move when he told me to, but I would anyway. My body was not under my control anymore."_

"That's horrible...have I been doing that the whole time?" he laid a hand on the empty Pokeballs on his belt.

"_Probably, but I can't exactly _fault_ you for it. You didn't know and you had good intentions, at any rate."_

"That must be why you hate Pokeballs so much."

"_That's a big part, but that's not all. My trainer was a very selfish person. He didn't care about any of his Pokemon. Just thought of us as big, colorful, dangerous toys. He would put me back in my Pokeball and would let me out again for huge spanses of time. I used to extend battles for as long as I could so I _wouldn't _have to go back into that damn Pokeball._

_ "That's why me being older than you doesn't really make a difference. A Pokeball puts you in suspended animation. You go in and you come out. It feels like thirty seconds, but it could have been a week. There was one point where, after a battle, he put me back into my Pokeball. When I came out, it had been 8 months since that last battle._

_ "_But, _that's still not all. I haven't gotten to the last straw, yet. See, all the other Pokemon completely idolized this trainer. I was the only one who didn't. I knew what he was doing to us. I saw how he really acted. It was like some bizarre pod-people situation and I was the only one unaffected. That's what made it so bad that I didn't have any physical power to do anything._

_ "Later on, this trainer caught an Electabuzz. This Pokemon felt exactly the same kind of resentment that I did. We kind of became friends-by-proxy because of that. We figured out that the Pokeball mind-control device-thing doesn't necessarily work as well on electric Pokemon. It still overrides our ability to rebel, but it doesn't rob us of our thoughts altogether."_

Ash suddenly stood up, his hands balled into fists. He walked briskly over to the trashcan, took all the Pokeballs from his belt, and threw them into the can with a loud clang. He walked back and sat down next to Pikachu.

"Sorry. I couldn't listen to much more of this with those things on my waist."

"_I appreciate that. A LOT. Anyway, Electabuzz and I became good friends. He was the only Pokemon I knew that had any grasp of what kind of wrong was going on here. We talked about any possibility of escape or rebellion. Electabuzz knew what he wanted, but he was more content with letting the future roll into him than going to get it. We came up with dozens of plans, but none of them came to fruition. I was only, like, 4 at the time, so I just listened to him. Then, one day, we got called back into our Pokeballs. After what felt like a few minutes, I came out again, _three damn years_ after I had been put in. Electabuzz had been traded away for an Eevee, which the trainer eventually evolved into a Vaporeon. I felt sick to my stomach. The only friend I had in the entire world was gone so this son of a bitch would have another toy to play around with until he got tired. I was fed up with it. I took a dive in that battle so I wouldn't have to listen to that trainer's voice or take another single _glance _at those damn blue eyes of his._

_ "Then, it happened. A few months later, the trainer found yet another Pokemon that he wanted. He didn't have enough Pokeballs to catch it with, so he let me out of mine while he used it to catch whatever Pokemon it was that he wanted. He told me to follow him and I did. He told me to battle and I did. He dropped his wallet and told me to pick it up for him. I DIDN'T. I didn't even realize what was going on at first. He just told me over his shoulder to pick up his wallet. Like I was his damn maid or something. I stared at him, thinking about how much I hated him, for a few seconds before I realized that I wasn't automatically bending down to hand him the wallet. I waited for him to tell me again, this time yelling. I still didn't listen. I looked up at him, both excited and scared shitless about what I was gonna do next. He turned and yelled at me as loud as he could to 'pick up that wallet.' Without thinking, I shocked him. I was too scared to do anything else. It was barely enough to charge a battery, but it was enough to charge me. I realized what I had done and did it again, this time bigger. Before I knew it, I was sending 10,000 volts through this son of a bitch while he twitched and seizured on the ground like a fish out of water._

_ "After that, I ran. I didn't even know where I was. I just hauled-tail off the road and bolted. I turned back to see the trainer as a small blot on the road. I didn't want to see any more of him, so I just kept running. I ran so hard that a few hours later, I passed out in the middle of the woods. I didn't even black out. I was just running, having just as much energy as ever, and the next thing I knew, I was on my back, facing the sky. After that, I wandered to the nearest city and bummed there for a while, kind of re-integrating with my wild side, so to speak. If you're away from a Pokeball long enough, your self-control eventually comes back._

_ "So I lived off whatever city this was for about a year until I felt like I could become wild again. I go out into the woods to see if I can find any other Pikachu, and what happens? BAM!" _Pikachu clapped his hands together. "_I'm caught again by the good Professor Oak. He tried to train me like he did with the other Pokemon he was going to hand out to trainers, but I've been out of a Pokeball for so long, I don't listen. He labels me a 'problem Pokemon' and puts me back in the ball. Then you show up, I'm given to you as your partner, and bada-boom, bada-bing. Here we are today."_

"Wow. I didn't know any of that happened. I'm sorry..."

Pikachu shrugged. "_The past is the past. It's not gonna catch up with me any time soon."_

Ash drooped his shoulders, feeling depressed. "I didn't know that all my Pokemon only listen to me because their forced to..."

"..._I don't." _Pikachu said. "_Neither do Squirtle, Charizard, or Bulbasaur. Yeah, you've been doing some inadvertent harm, but you're still forgetting something. We all _like _you, Ash. I haven't been in a Pokeball since the first day we met and I listen to every word you say. It's not out of some messed-up brainwashing, it's because I think you're a good trainer and...I don't think of you as my trainer." _Pikachu shuffled his feet, embarrassed. "_I've always just thought of you as...y'know...my friend."_

Ash looked at Pikachu, who was blushing. He refused to make eye contact, but his fur started to stand on end from nervous energy. Ash laughed and pulled Pikachu closer.

"I never felt like you were my Pokemon, either." He said. Pikachu struggled against his arm and managed to wriggle out of Ash's grip.

"_Okay! We're BFFs for life! We can have our own secret handshake! Just don't strangle me to death inside your bony-ass elbow!" _Ash started to laugh and Pikachu soon joined him.

"Wait a minute...what about that thing with Kadabra? The part where the voice said 'You shouldn't have left him.'"

"_Yeah? What about it?"_

"It just sounds to me like you don't have anything to be guilty about. You didn't do anything wrong." To this, Pikachu looked down at his feet and tapped his fingers together, nervously. His cheeks sparked accidentally.

"_You just don't understand the dynamic. When a Pokemon is partnered with a human trainer, there's a kind of bond that exists between the two. When that bond isn't there, there's something seriously wrong. Most Pokemon are wild (obviously), so a chance to go with a trainer is a one-in-a-million shot of doing something with their lives. Actually _leaving _your trainer is like a human walking out on their mate. I was ostracized by the wild Pokemon. With about a thousand different layers of comprehension for body language, _you_ try hiding the fact that you were a trained Pokemon."_

"I didn't know it worked that way."

_ "Nor were you expected to. We're just as social animals as humans are. Some more and some less so."_

The conversation lulled into a comfortable silence. Pikachu stood up quietly, then climbed on top of Ash's shoulders. He plucked that hat off of his head, put it on his own, then went back to his seat. Ash simply sat there, knowing better than to argue.

"So..." Ash said, breaking the tranquility, "what exactly do you think was wrong with Kadabra?"

_"Oh come on! Do you have _nothing _else to talk about!?" _Pikachu said exasperatedly. "_It's dead! It's dead and still creeping me out! I don't want to even think about that crazy bastard again!"_

"It's hard _not_ to think about it! It implanted mind-reading powers in my brain and almost killed all my friends! That's not something I'm gonna forget any time soon!" Ash leaned forward and put his heads in his hands, trying to stay awake. "And that's another thing; it gave me these powers to try and make me more like _it_. I don't want them to go away, but every time I hear someone's thoughts, I'll be reminded of that Kadabra. I don't...really know what to do."

_"How about do nothing?_"

"What do you mean?"

"_I mean that the past is the past. Kadabra can't come out of some time-portal-thing for revenge at being dead or anything like that. It can't hurt you anymore. And besides, just because a memory is bad doesn't mean you should just forget it. In fact, embrace it. You saw how open I was about what happened to me. I'm angry at what happened and I'm ashamed of what I did, but that doesn't mean I want to wipe my mind of it all. I'm glad I got the short end of the stick because it's one of the building blocks that make me who I am. We're defined by how we deal with our mistakes, problems, and shortcomings. You don't want to be the kind of person who runs away. I know that."_

"Yeah...." Ash thought about it. "Yeah, you're right. You're absolutely right." He turned to Pikachu. "That was...really insightful, actually."

"_I'm hyperactive, scatterbrained, inattentive, impulsive, oblivious, easily distracted, redundant, redundant, and _slightly _misanthropic." _Pikachu tapped his finger to his head. "_But I'm not _stupid._"_

A door opened to the left of the front counter. Both Ash and Pikachu whirled around to look. Squirtle came walking out of the door, limping with a bandage on his head. He was waving through the door with a strained smile on his face.

"Squirtle! _Thanks!"_ As soon as the door closed, the happy expression fell. He irritatedly tore the bandage off of his head and tossed it over his shoulder. _"I can't stand it. Every time I come to one of these places, they baby me like I'm a china doll or something. If my arm is dislocated, pop it back into place, give me a lolly if you must, and send me on my effing way!" _He fumed.

"You certainly sound recovered."

Squirtle folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "_Please. I'm the _last _Pokemon to fold under pressure. Give me a little credit."_

"_Oh pardon me!" _Pikachu said, jumping to the floor. He walked before Squirtle and bowed animatedly. "_I was not aware that one with your stature would grace us with your presence! We are not worthy!" _He dropped to his knees. "_May I please be so bold as to ask to kiss your feet!?"_

"_Ha ha ha. Ow. My sides. That was too funny, Pikachu. _Really."

Pikachu stood up, laughing. "_I thought so. What was that about folding under pressure? Did I not see you drop unconscious like a pile of bricks?"_

"_I didn't see _you _do anything to help!"_

"_Because you were stone-cold dead to the world on your face! I saved the day! Sort of!"_

"_Like hell you did."_

"Actually." Ash said. "He did help. He distracted Kadabra from killing Charizard, Snorlax, and Bayleef. Saved their lives."

"_Wow!" _Squirtle turned to Pikachu. "_You did?"_

"_Oh, it was no big deal. You just can't keep awesome bottled up for too long. Eventually it'll go stale."_

Squirtle put a finger in Pikachu's face. "_Don't push it. I don't have any problems giving credit where it's due, but act too cocky and praise won't be the only thing that'll get shoved in your ears." _He turned to Ash. "_I'm getting a one-way trip back to Vermillion in a minute. I convinced Nurse Jody or whatever her name is to let me say goodbye._

"You convinced them? How? They can't understand you."

"_Yeah, but they sure as hell understand pointing and shouting."_

"Well, you got me there. By the way, is there some kind of teleporter you can use without going inside a Pokeball?"

"_What, the whole mind-control thing?" _Squirtle asked. "_Don't sweat it. It'll take more than a Pokeball to mess with my sense of reality. Anyway, I'll see you guys later. I had a great time...for _most _of the day. Ash, you can call me any time you need help with anything. And keep those shades safe, alright?"_

"Sure thing."

Squirtle walked through the door, stopped, then stuck his head around the corner.

"_Oh yeah. I forgot." _Squirtle smiled. "_Ash, he forgives you." _He stepped through the door as it shut behind him.

_ "He is such a tool." _Pikachu said, laughing.

"Yeah, but at least he can back it up. Didn't he just say he was resistant to the Pokeball's effect?"

"_Squirtle? _Hell _no! When I told him about it, he started pretending that he knew about it all along. He was just as screwed in the head as everyone else."_

"Well...at least he can back it up _physically_."

_ "Oh definitely. And he knows how to make an exit, too."_

Ash laughed. Squirtle's last comment lifted his last, crushing feeling of guilt from his shoulders. He stood up and motioned for Pikachu to follow.

"C'mon. From the sound of things, most of the Pokemon are okay. Let's make sure before we go visit Professor Oak."

_ "Alright." _Pikachu started to follow, but then stopped in his tracks. "_Ash..."_

"Yeah?" Ash turned to see Pikachu looking away in shame and holding his tiny arms open.

_ "Let's do this here since no one's around. Can...can I have a hug?"_

"Wh-Really?"

"_Don't do that. This is completely emasculating already."_

"Sure." Ash picked up Pikachu and they hugged, sharing a moment.

_ "Thanks for being a cool guy, Ash._

"Thanks for being a good friend Pikachu."

They embraced in silence for a moment.

_ "Ash...I have to tell you something."_

"What is it?"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked. A smirk sparked with them.

_ "I'm not that good a friend." _he said as the air pressure dropped.

Ash suddenly grew wide-eyed.

"Oh no..."

_ "Oh yes."_

Before Ash could toss Pikachu away from him, he was engulfed in a bright, tingling light that rooted him to the floor and made his knees go weak. His muscles convulsed and he fell to the floor in sharp pain. He fell to the floor. As soon as the pain had started, it was gone. Ash was left panting on the ground, smoking slightly.

_ "I told you you had it coming." _Pikachu said, matter-of-factually. "_Besides, the true measure of a friendship is based on how mercilessly you can insult and beat up your friend without them getting angry."_

Pikachu walked toward the door. He stepped onto and over Ash, tossing his hat on his face as he pushed through the double-doors to the recovery room.

"_What are you doing?" _He asked the still-steaming Ash, poking his head through the door. "_I just electrocuted you! That couldn't have been more then 900 volts!" _Ash weakly turned his head to Pikachu, then, struggling, raised his burned middle finger.

"_Baby." _Pikachu said, walking through the doors.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Alright, that's it. Thanks a lot for reading this. I loved the feedback I got from you guys and would really appreciate it if you could leave a review or two. Even if you don't, I'm glad you took the time to read my story. Thanks again!


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